Spanish Phrase
El paquete llegó ayer.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘The package arrived yesterday.’ It uses the simple past (preterite) to talk about a specific event that is finished and already known to the listener.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to inform someone that a delivery, mail, or any parcel has already been received, especially in a conversation about plans that depend on the item’s arrival.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Elpaquetellegóayer
Definite article (El)
El is the masculine singular definite article used before masculine nouns like paquete.
Noun (paquete)
Paquete means ‘package’ or ‘parcel’; it is masculine, so it takes the article el.
Preterite of llegar (llegó)
Llegó is the third‑person singular preterite of llegar, indicating a completed action in the past.
Adverb of time (ayer)
Ayer means ‘yesterday’ and is commonly placed at the end of the sentence for emphasis.
🗨In Conversation
El paquete llegó ayer.
The package arrived yesterday.
¡Genial! Entonces ya podemos empezar a usarlo.
Great! So we can start using it now.
✕Common Mistakes
El paquete llega ayer.
‘Llega’ is present tense; the sentence refers to a completed action, so the preterite ‘llegó’ is required.
La paquete llegó ayer.
‘Paquete’ is masculine; the correct article is ‘el’, not ‘la’.
↔Alternatives
El paquete llegó el día de ayer.
The package arrived the day before today.
Ya llegó el paquete.
The package has already arrived.
El envío llegó ayer.
The shipment arrived yesterday.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries, people often confirm receipt of a delivery with a brief statement like this before moving on to the next step. While “ayer” is perfectly normal, in more formal written communication you might see “el día de ayer”. Also, note that “paquete” is masculine; never say *la paquete*.