Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Hoy llegó el pedido justo a tiempo.

Spanish allows flexible word order. Starting with a time adverb like Hoy often leads to verb–subject order for flow or emphasis. The subject is still el pedido; llegó comes first simply because llegar is intransitive and the subject can follow the verb. Alternatives are fine: El pedido llegó hoy (justo a tiempo) or Hoy el pedido llegó (justo a tiempo), with small differences in emphasis.

Why use the preterite llegó instead of the present perfect ha llegado, especially with hoy in Spain?

In Peninsular Spanish, when the time frame includes the present (like hoy, esta mañana, este año), the present perfect is very common: Hoy ha llegado el pedido (justo a tiempo). The preterite llegó is widespread in Latin America and also appears in Spain, especially in narrative or when the event is viewed as completed and detached from the present. Both are understood; for neutral Spain usage, ha llegado is often preferred.

What does the accent in llegó do? Is llego different?

Yes. llego (no accent) is present tense, first person singular: I arrive. llegó (accent on the last syllable) is preterite, third person singular: he/she/it arrived or you (usted) arrived. The accent changes the stress and distinguishes the forms in writing.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts in Spain?

hoy: silent h, sounds like /oi/.
llegó: most of Spain has yeísmo, so ll sounds like a soft y [ʝ]; g before o is hard [g]; stress on -gó.
justo: j is a throaty (strong h‑sound).
pedido: the d between vowels is a soft dental [ð] (like the voiced th in English this).

What does justo add to a tiempo?

a tiempo means on time or in time. justo a tiempo intensifies it: exactly or just in time, often implying it was close. Near equivalents in Spain: por los pelos (very close, colloquial), en el último momento (at the last moment), puntual (punctual, not the same nuance).

Can I move justo around?

El pedido llegó justo a tiempo. (Very common.)
Hoy llegó el pedido justo a tiempo. (Your sentence.)
Justo hoy llegó el pedido. (Emphasizes that it happened today of all days.) Avoid llegó a tiempo justo; it’s not idiomatic. llegó justo without a tiempo usually needs more context to sound natural.

Does a tiempo always use the preposition a?

Yes. The fixed expression is a tiempo. You don’t use en or con here. You can extend it when relevant: a tiempo para la reunión.

Can I drop the article in Llegó el pedido?

Not if you mean a specific known order. Spanish normally requires the article: Llegó el pedido. If it’s non‑specific, use the indefinite: Llegó un pedido. Llegó pedido sounds telegraphic or ungrammatical in standard speech.

What is the subject here if there’s no pronoun?

The subject is the noun phrase el pedido. Spanish often omits subject pronouns because verb endings carry person/number. Since llegar is intransitive, the noun after the verb is not an object; it’s the subject.

Can I put hoy at the end: Llegó el pedido hoy?

Yes. El pedido llegó hoy and Hoy llegó el pedido are both correct. Beginning with Hoy foregrounds the time frame; placing hoy at the end is more neutral or topic‑first.

How does it change in the plural?

Make the article and verb plural: Hoy llegaron los pedidos justo a tiempo.

Is orden a good word for a delivery order in Spain?

For purchases and deliveries, pedido is the natural choice in Spain. orden tends to mean a command or orderliness. Depending on context you might also hear encargo (request/commission) or paquete (package).

Does justo here mean just now?

No. Here justo means exactly or precisely. For just now, Spanish uses acabar de + infinitive: El pedido acaba de llegar.

Do I need a comma after Hoy?

No comma is needed after a short fronted adverb: Hoy llegó el pedido... With longer or more parenthetical openers, a comma is common: Hoy por la mañana, llegó el pedido...

Can I use object pronouns with llegar, like lo llegó?

No. llegar is intransitive, so lo llegó is incorrect. You can, however, use an indirect pronoun to indicate the affected person: Nos llegó el pedido (the order arrived to us), Le llegó el pedido a Juan.