il lui arrive

something happens to him/her

→ il
phrase Uncommon #22,652
something happens to him/her In this impersonal construction, « lui » means “to him” or “to her.” With « de » and an infinitive, the phrase can mean “he/she sometimes …”.
FR: Il lui arrive souvent des choses étranges.
EN: Strange things often happen to him.

Je creuse la vérité, et pendant ce temps il lui arrive quelque chose.

I dig for the truth, and in the meantime something happens to him.

— Stalker (1979)

Je sens qu'il lui arrive quelque chose.

I have a feeling something’s happened to them.

— Le Frère 2 (2000)

S'il lui arrive le moindre mal, je vous tiendrai personnellement responsable.

If anything happens to him, I will hold you personally responsible.

Peut-tu me dire ce qu'il lui arrive ?

Can you tell me what's happening to him?

Il lui arrive de changer d'apparence.

He sometimes changes his appearance.

— Ne Zha 2 (2025)

Des oreillers, car il lui arrive d'y faire un somme.

Pillows, because she sometimes takes a nap on them.

— Garçon d'honneur (1993)

J'ai peur qu'il lui arrive vraiment quelque chose.

I'm afraid something might really happen to him/her.

— Memories of Murder (2003)

Il lui arrive de se mettre très en colère.

He sometimes gets very angry.

— Rebecca (1940)

Il lui arrive de veiller tard le soir.

He sometimes stays up late at night.

Si jamais il lui arrive quoi que ce soit d'autre, je m'en prendrai à vous.

If anything else happens to him/her, I’ll hold you responsible.

— F1® Le Film (2025)

Il lui arrive quoi ?

What's happening to him?

Il lui arrive même de pas rentrer du tout.

Sometimes he doesn't even come home at all.

— Les Affranchis (1990)