This is the 2716th most frequent French word.
arrivait
"Arrivait" means "was arriving" or "used to arrive" in English.
In this sentence, 'arrivait' is used to describe a habitual action in the past, indicating his repeated behavior of arriving late to work.
Il arrivait toujours en retard au travail.
He always arrived late to work.
Here, 'arrivait' conveys an ongoing action in the past, illustrating the moment the bus was in the process of arriving.
Quand le bus arrivait, elle se tenait prête.
When the bus was arriving, she was ready.
In this context, 'arrivait' indicates a progressive aspect in the past, depicting the transition of time as night approached.