chegar

Senses

1. 1.

   to arrive

   to reach a destination or come to a place

2. 2.

   to reach; to attain

   to succeed in reaching a certain level, point, or goal

3. 3.

   to be enough; to suffice

   to be adequate in quantity or quality for a purpose

4. 4.

   to approach; to draw near

   to come close to in time or space

Examples

• "Que horas você chegou em casa ontem?"

  What time did you arrive home yesterday?

• "Ele chegou a ser presidente da empresa."

  He managed to become president of the company.

• "Este dinheiro não chega para pagar as contas."

  This money is not enough to pay the bills.

Usage

Common everyday verb in Brazilian Portuguese. Use "chegar em" or "chegar a" for arrival at a place (both are acceptable in PT-BR, though prescriptive grammar prefers "chegar a"). "Chegar a + infinitive" means to manage or succeed in doing something. Often used colloquially without a direct object ("Ele chegou cansado" = He arrived tired).