Movement verbs + preposition (leave for, go to, arrive at)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”Movement verbs in English pair with fixed prepositions. The preposition depends on the focus (departure vs arrival vs time).
| Focus | Verb | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departure | leave | for | We leave for Venice. |
| Departure | depart | for | The train departs for Paris. |
| Departure | head | for | We head for the exit. |
| Departure | set off | for | We set off for the airport. |
| Arrival | go | to | We go to Venice. |
| Arrival | travel | to | We travel to Italy. |
| Arrival | fly | to | We fly to Rome. |
| Arrival | drive | to | We drive to the airport. |
| Time of departure | leave | at | We leave at 9am. |
| Time of departure | leave | on | We leave on Monday. |
| Arrival | arrive | at / in | We arrive at the airport / We arrive in Rome. |
| Origin | leave | from | We leave from Paris. |
| Origin | fly | from | We fly from London. |
Why “leave to” is wrong
Section titled “Why “leave to” is wrong”Leave is departure-focused — the focus is on leaving the current place. The destination is a target (something you’re heading toward), so the preposition is for, not to.
- leave for Venice ✓ (departing, heading to Venice)
- leave to Venice ✗ (wrong fixed pair)
Go / travel / fly / drive are arrival-focused — the focus is on getting somewhere. The destination is a goal, so the preposition is to.
- go to Venice ✓ (going to Venice)
- go for Venice ✗ (wrong fixed pair)
Cure-Dolly: focus determines preposition
Section titled “Cure-Dolly: focus determines preposition”- “for” = toward (from here toward there) — departure view
- “to” = to (arriving at the goal) — arrival view
Test: ask “is the speaker focused on leaving or arriving?” Then pick the matching preposition.
- Tomorrow we leave for Venice. — focus on leaving → “for”
- Tomorrow we go to Venice. — focus on arrival → “to”
Same destination, different verb, different preposition.
arrive + at / in
Section titled “arrive + at / in”Arrive is a special case. It can take at (specific point) or in (larger area):
- arrive at the airport (specific building/place)
- arrive at the station
- arrive in Rome (city / country — larger area)
Don’t say arrive to — wrong.
- arrive to the airport ✗
- arrive at the airport ✓
Indonesian trap
Section titled “Indonesian trap”Indonesian pergi (go) and berangkat (depart) both translate to “go” and “leave” but English splits:
| Indonesian | English |
|---|---|
| Saya pergi ke Roma | I’m going to Rome. (arrival focus) |
| Saya berangkat ke Roma | I’m leaving for Rome. (departure focus) |
| Saya tiba di Roma | I arrive in Rome. (in/at, NOT to) |
Indonesian ke (= “to”) and dari (= “from”) cover multiple English prepositions. You have to know which English verb + which English preposition for each.
Fixed pairs to memorize
Section titled “Fixed pairs to memorize”| Phrase | Don’t say |
|---|---|
| leave for | |
| go to | |
| arrive at/in | |
| depart for | |
| head for | |
| set off for | |
| fly to | (this one is correct — fly is arrival-focused) |
| travel to | (this one is correct) |
| drive to | (this one is correct) |
Test application
Section titled “Test application”Ken and Sonia are travelling in Italy. They’re in Rome right now, and tomorrow they leave ___.
Answer: for Venice. “Leave” = departure → “for”.
Why not the others?
- at — “leave at” is for time, not destination
- to — “leave to” is not a fixed pair
- for ✓ — departure verb + destination
Test application 2
Section titled “Test application 2”We arrived ___ Barcelona a few days ago.
Answer: in. Barcelona is a city (large area) → arrive in. ✗ arrive to Barcelona (never to). at Barcelona would treat the city as a mere stopping point — not the natural frame.
| destination type | preposition | example |
|---|---|---|
| city, country, region (area) | in | arrive in Barcelona / Japan / Europe |
| building, venue, point | at | arrive at the airport / the station / the party |
| — | ✗ to | never arrive to |
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 133 — Verb + preposition 2. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “tomorrow they leave ___” → for (departure verb, destination preposition). User’s gloss: “leave for = target, leave at = time, leave to = wrong, use go/travel to instead.”