tardío
/taɾˈdio/
The English word belated is translated into Spanish as tardío. Wiktionary also lists serondo.
Meaning: later in relation to the proper time which something should have happened (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| tardío | /taɾˈdio/ |
| serondo | /seˈɾondo/ |
The adjective tardío describes something that occurs later than the proper or expected time.
Which one should you use?
While tardío can mean 'belated' in a technical or biological sense (like 'late harvest'), for a simple 'late' arrival or a late person, Spanish speakers more commonly use tarde.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular is tardío, the feminine singular is tardía, the masculine plural is tardíos and the feminine plural is tardías.
How do you pronounce it?
/taɾˈdio/
Did you know?
- The word serondo is a linguistic 'rearrangement' of the Latin word sērōtinus, which means 'of the evening'. Over time, the letters shifted position through a process called metathesis to create the Spanish form we use today.
- While tardío means 'belated', the phrase cumpleaños atrasado is used for a 'belated birthday'. The word atrasado literally means 'delayed' or 'behind schedule', shifting the focus from the timing to the delay itself.
- The word tardío is used in biology to describe species that bloom or fruit later than usual. This makes it a technical term for a 'late' variety of grape or plant rather than just a social description.
Examples in context
- Disculpe mi tardanza, estuve ocupado y no pude enviar mis saludos en la fecha correcta.Please excuse my belatedness, I was busy and couldn't send my greetings on the correct date.
- Perdón por la tardanza en desearte feliz cumpleaños, espero que hayas tenido un día maravilloso.Sorry for the delay in wishing you a happy birthday, hope you had a wonderful day.
- un saludo tardíoA belated greeting
- El reporte tardío causó muchos problemas.The belated report caused many problems.
- Recibimos un saludo tardío por parte de la empresa.We received a belated greeting from the company.
Example conversation
Sofía is giving a gift to Alejandro after his birthday passed.
- SofíaFeliz cumpleaños atrasado, Alejandro.Happy belated birthday, Alejandro.
- AlejandroMuchas gracias, Sofía. No te preocupes.Thank you very much, Sofía. Don't worry.
- SofíaPerdona este tardío regalo.Forgive this belated gift.
- AlejandroMe encanta, es muy amable de tu parte.I love it, it is very kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “belated” translations and entries tardío, serondo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries serondo, tardío, CC BY-SA 4.0.
