По-добре късно, отколкото никога
по добре късно отколкото никога 1
Better late than never
Signification
Doing it late is better than not doing it
Contexte culturel
Bulgarians often use this phrase with a shrug and a smile. It reflects a relaxed attitude toward social time, known as 'Balkan time'. In many Balkan countries, the completion of a task is celebrated regardless of the delay, emphasizing resilience over punctuality. In the age of instant messaging, this phrase is a standard way to restart a conversation that has gone cold. Bulgarian professors are often lenient with deadlines if the student shows genuine effort, often citing this proverb.
Use it for late texts
It's the most natural way to restart a conversation if you forgot to reply to a friend.
Don't over-rely on it
If you use it every day for being late, people will stop finding it charming.
Signification
Doing it late is better than not doing it
Use it for late texts
It's the most natural way to restart a conversation if you forgot to reply to a friend.
Don't over-rely on it
If you use it every day for being late, people will stop finding it charming.
The 'Hich' variation
Use 'отколкото хич' with close friends to sound more like a native speaker.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing word in the proverb.
По-добре късно, _________ никога.
In Bulgarian, 'отколкото' is the correct conjunction for comparing adverbs in this proverb.
Which situation best fits the phrase 'По-добре късно, отколкото никога'?
Situation: You are 5 minutes late for a train that has already left.
If the train has left, you missed it. The phrase implies that you still did the thing or arrived, just late.
Choose the correct adverb form.
________ късно, отколкото никога.
The comparative form 'по-добре' (better) is required for this proverb.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Съжалявам, че ти връщам книгата след една година! B: Няма нищо. ___________________.
This is the most appropriate response to someone returning something very late.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesПо-добре късно, _________ никога.
In Bulgarian, 'отколкото' is the correct conjunction for comparing adverbs in this proverb.
Situation: You are 5 minutes late for a train that has already left.
If the train has left, you missed it. The phrase implies that you still did the thing or arrived, just late.
________ късно, отколкото никога.
The comparative form 'по-добре' (better) is required for this proverb.
A: Съжалявам, че ти връщам книгата след една година! B: Няма нищо. ___________________.
This is the most appropriate response to someone returning something very late.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
Yes, if you are submitting the work now. If you aren't doing the work at all, it doesn't apply.
'От' is for nouns (bigger than you). 'Отколкото' is for adverbs or whole ideas (better late than never).
Yes, people often just say 'По-добре късно...' and leave the rest implied.
It can. It's best to say 'Sorry' first, then use the proverb to lighten the mood.
Absolutely! It's the standard thing to say for a 'birthday on crutches'.
In this specific proverb, yes. The order is fixed.
It literally means 'on crutches' and is used to describe celebrating a holiday late.
Yes, but usually in the body of the email to apologize for a slight delay in replying.
It is one of the top 10 most used proverbs in Bulgaria.
Expressions liées
Никога не е късно
similarIt is never too late.
Всяко зло за добро
builds onEvery bad thing is for a good thing (Every cloud has a silver lining).
Бързата работа - срам за майстора
contrastHasty work is a shame for the master.
По-добре късно, отколкото хич
specialized formBetter late than not at all (informal).
