más vale tarde que nunca
/mas bale taɾde ke nunka/from spelling rules
The English phrase "better late than never" can be translated into Spanish as más vale tarde que nunca. If unsure, use más vale tarde que nunca. Wiktionary also lists nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena.
Meaning: it's better to do something late, than to never do it at all (proverb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| más vale tarde que nunca | /mas bale taɾde ke nunka/ (from spelling rules) |
| nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena | /nunka es taɾde si la dit͡ʃa es bwena/ (from spelling rules) |
This proverb is used in the same contexts as the English version, such as when someone arrives late to an event or completes a task much later than expected.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase más vale tarde que nunca is built from más (more), vale (is worth), tarde (late), que (than) and nunca (never).
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter the variation nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena.
Did you know?
- The word vale in más vale tarde que nunca comes from the verb valer, but in Spain, vale is also used as a ubiquitous slang word meaning 'okay' or 'I agree'.
- The Spanish word más is a relative of the English word 'master', as both descend from the Latin word magister, which itself comes from magis.
- The word tarde functions as both an adverb meaning 'late' and a noun meaning 'afternoon' or 'evening'.
Examples in context
- Más vale tarde que nunca.Better late than never.This sentence shows how to use más vale tarde que nunca.Tatoeba #3078 by Shishir, translation #2344 by CK
- Mis disculpas por el retraso. Más vale tarde que nunca, ¿verdad?Apologies for the delay. Better late than never, right?
- Me alegra verte, aunque sea un poco tarde. Mejor tarde que nunca, ¿verdad?I'm glad to see you, even if it's a bit late. Better late than never, right?
- Llegaste una hora después, pero más vale tarde que nunca.You arrived an hour late, but better late than never.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are meeting at a café after a long delay.
- Mateo¡Hola, Lucía! Siento mucho la demora.Hi, Lucía! I am very sorry for the delay.
- LucíaNo te preocupes, Mateo. Más vale tarde que nunca.Don't worry, Mateo. Better late than never.
- Mateo¿Me perdonas por llegar tan tarde?Do you forgive me for arriving so late?
- LucíaEstá bien, lo importante es que ya estás aquí.It's okay, the important thing is that you are already here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “better late than never” translations and entries más vale tarde que nunca, nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries más, más vale tarde que nunca, que, tarde, vale, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
