if I am travelling in a foreign country and the local people there asked me when I entered this country. Are the following three sentences equivalent:
- I came here a week ago
- I got here a week ago
- I arrived here a week ago
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1All three of those sentences are correct, and they all mean the same thing.– Lorel C.Apr 6, 2019 at 19:47
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2 Answers
In response to that question, all are equally good. More generally, there are nuances.
I arrived is the most neutral and formal.
I came here a week ago: I may have gone away and come again during that week. The other two do not suggest that possibility. “I came to this restaurant last week and it was busy; why is it now closed?”
I got here is the most informal. It may (or may not) imply some difficulty in the trip, or competitiveness. “Where have you been? I got here a week ago!”
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Do you think these nuances apply when answering a specific question given the framework as posed by the OP in his question? If he had gone out of the country and came back during the week, to be truthful, wouldn't he have to change his answer? He could no longer say a week as in the OP's example. Also, when answering a specific question about the timing of his arrival, would the "got" nuance you've mentioned apply? The question was when he came into the country. Wouldn't in this instance the focus be on time and not other circumstances of the trip?– Don B.Apr 7, 2019 at 2:00
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@DonB. You're quite right, I did not pay attention to the context. Apr 7, 2019 at 2:20
Yes. They all use the simple past tense, and the wording is identical except for the choice of the verb. As Lorel C. stated, the meaning is the same in all three cases.
