Today, we’ll clarify the differences between GO – COME – ARRIVE – three seemingly simple verbs that are often misused in English.
Watch the video until the end to avoid mistakes and use them correctly in everyday conversation!

 

PART 1: SHORT AND SIMPLE EXPLANATION
1. COME → Describes movement towards the speaker or a familiar place.
→ Example 1: Come here, please! /kʌm hɪr pliːz/

→ Example 2: She comes home late. /ʃiː kʌmz hoʊm leɪt/
Summary: COME means coming closer to the speaker’s location or a familiar place.

2. GO → Describes leaving the current place to go somewhere else.
→ Example 1: I'm going to the store. /aɪm ˈɡoʊɪŋ tə ðə stɔːr/
→ Example 2: He goes to school every day. /hiː ɡoʊz tə skuːl ˈevri deɪ/
Summary: GO means moving away from your current location to another place.

3. ARRIVE → Used to emphasize the end of a journey, reaching a destination.
→ Example 1: They arrived at the airport on time. /ðeɪ əˈraɪvd æt ði ˈerpɔːrt ɑːn taɪm/
→ Example 2: I arrived in New York yesterday. /aɪ əˈraɪvd ɪn nuː jɔːrk ˈjestərdeɪ/
Summary: ARRIVE means reaching a place, focusing on the destination.

 

PART 2: COMMON MISTAKES – DEEPER DIFFERENTIATION
→ Say go home or come home
→ Don’t say “go to home” or “come to home.” Remember, no “to” here.

→ Use arrive at for small places like arrive at the station. 
→ Use arrive in for larger places like arrive in Vietnam.
→ Don’t say “arrive to” – this is completely wrong.

→ Say come to class when the teacher is at the classroom and wants you to come. 
→ Say go to class when you are leaving to attend class.

 

PART 3: QUICK MEMORY TRICKS – EASY TO LEARN, HARD TO FORGET
Tip 1:
• GO = go far
• COME = come close
• ARRIVE = reach destination

Tip 2: Imagine you are the center:
• If someone comes to you → use COME
• If you go away → use GO
• If you want to emphasize the end point → use ARRIVE

Tip 3:
• COME to (except “come home”)
• GO to
• ARRIVE at or ARRIVE in

 

PART 4: PRACTICE QUIZ – DEEPEN YOUR REFLEXES
→ Each sentence below shows a missing verb. After a few seconds, the full sentence, pronunciation, and meaning will appear.
→ Guess quickly and see how many you get right!

 

Question 1: I ______ back home at 5.
I came back home at 5.

 

Question 2: They will ______ to Korea next year.
They will go to Korea next year.
/ðeɪ wɪl ɡoʊ tə kəˈriə nekst jɪr/

Question 3: He ______ at the station on time.
He arrived at the station on time.
/hiː əˈraɪvd æt ðə ˈsteɪʃn ɑːn taɪm/

Question 4: Let’s ______ to the zoo!
Let’s go to the zoo.
/lets ɡoʊ tə ðə zuː/

Question 5: She ______ to the party late.
She came to the party late.
/ʃiː keɪm tə ðə ˈpɑːrti leɪt/

Question 6: What time did you ______?
What time did you arrive?
/wɑːt taɪm dɪd juː əˈraɪv/

Question 7: I always ______ to work by bus.
I always go to work by bus.
/aɪ ˈɔːlweɪz ɡoʊ tə wɜːrk baɪ bʌs/

Question 8: Please ______ in!
Please come in!
/pliːz kʌm ɪn/

Question 9: We ______ in Hanoi at 7 PM.
We arrived in Hanoi at 7 PM.
/wiː əˈraɪvd ɪn ˈhæˌnɔɪ æt ˈsevn piːˈem/

Question 10: I will ______ back soon.
I will come back soon.
/aɪ wɪl kʌm bæk suːn/

Question 11: You should ______ see us!
You should come see us!
/juː ʃʊd kʌm siː ʌs/

Question 12: They often ______ to the zoo.
They often go to the zoo.
/ðeɪ ˈɔːfən ɡoʊ tə ðə zuː/

Question 13: She ______ late yesterday.
She arrived late yesterday.
/ʃiː əˈraɪvd leɪt ˈjestərdeɪ/

Question 14: Don’t ______ here without calling!
Don’t come here without calling!
/doʊnt kʌm hɪr wɪˈðaʊt ˈkɔːlɪŋ/

Question 15: When will we ______ there?
When will we arrive there?
/wen wɪl wiː əˈraɪv ðer/