Meaning
To reach a destination past the scheduled time.
Cultural Background
Punctuality is expected in professional settings, but a 10-15 minute delay is often tolerated in social gatherings. This is known as 'la cortesía'. The word 'ahorita' can mean anything from 'in one second' to 'never'. If someone says they are arriving 'ahorita', they might still be 'llegando tarde'. For house parties (asados), arriving exactly on time is often considered too early. Guests usually arrive 30-60 minutes after the stated time. The verb 'demorarse' is frequently used instead of 'llegar tarde'. It emphasizes the duration of the delay.
The 'A' Rule
Always use 'a' after 'llegar tarde' to specify the destination. 'Llegar tarde a casa', 'Llegar tarde al trabajo'.
Avoid 'Estar'
Never say 'Estoy tarde'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers. Stick to 'Llego tarde'.
Meaning
To reach a destination past the scheduled time.
The 'A' Rule
Always use 'a' after 'llegar tarde' to specify the destination. 'Llegar tarde a casa', 'Llegar tarde al trabajo'.
Avoid 'Estar'
Never say 'Estoy tarde'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers. Stick to 'Llego tarde'.
Apologize Right
In Spain, use 'Lo siento' or 'Perdón'. In formal settings, use 'Disculpe la demora'.
Test Yourself
Conjugate the verb 'llegar' in the preterite (past) tense.
Ayer yo _______ tarde a la oficina.
The 'yo' form of 'llegar' in the preterite requires 'gu' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Select the correct way to say 'I am late'.
In Spanish, we use the verb 'llegar' to express being late.
Match the Spanish phrase with its English equivalent.
Match these:
These are essential time-related opposites.
Complete the dialogue with the correct preposition.
Juan: Perdón por llegar tarde ___ la fiesta.
We use 'a' to indicate the event or place we are late for.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesAyer yo _______ tarde a la oficina.
The 'yo' form of 'llegar' in the preterite requires 'gu' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Select the correct way to say 'I am late'.
In Spanish, we use the verb 'llegar' to express being late.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are essential time-related opposites.
Juan: Perdón por llegar tarde ___ la fiesta.
We use 'a' to indicate the event or place we are late for.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes, but it's less common than 'Llego tarde'. It implies you are coming from somewhere else right now.
It depends. 5 minutes is fine. 30 minutes without a text is rude.
You can say 'Voy tarde' or 'Estoy llegando tarde'.
The opposite is 'llegar temprano' (to arrive early) or 'llegar a tiempo' (to arrive on time).
No, 'tarde' is an adverb here and never changes form.
In some places, people say 'llegar tarde' is 'hacer un desplante' if it's intentional, but there isn't one universal slang word.
Yes, 'El paquete llegó tarde' (The package arrived late).
'Llegar tarde' is the result; 'retrasarse' is the process of being delayed.
Yo llegaré tarde, tú llegarás tarde, etc.
Yes, it is the standard term for being late to a meeting.
Related Phrases
Atrasarse
synonymTo fall behind or be late.
Demorarse
synonymTo take a long time or be delayed.
Llegar a tiempo
contrastTo arrive on time.
Tardar
builds onTo take (a certain amount of time).
Hacerse tarde
similarTo be getting late.
