tard
/taʁ/
The English word 'late' is expressed in French as tard.
tard is used to describe a late hour or a late stage of a period. It can function as an adjective meaning 'not arriving until after an expected time' or as an adverb meaning 'past a designated time'.
Meaning: not arriving until after an expected time (adj)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between tard and en retard. Use tard when referring to a late hour (such as 'it is getting late'). In contrast, use en retard when referring to someone or something being behind schedule, such as a person arriving late for an appointment or a train running late.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
While tard is used as an adverb or in fixed expressions, the adjective tardif is used to describe nouns, such as a 'late harvest'. To describe an action performed late, you can use the adverbial form tardivement.
How do you pronounce it?
/taʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use tard when they mean someone is late for an appointment or event. Instead, use en retard for people or transport that are behind schedule.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'late' to mean 'deceased', such as 'the late Mr. Smith', French speakers never use any form of tard for this. To refer to someone who has passed away, you must use different terms like feu.
- The word tard shares an ancestor with the English word 'tarry', which means to linger or delay, reflecting the same sense of being slow or late.
- The adverbial form tardivement is quite formal and is more common in written literature than in everyday spoken conversation.
Examples in context
- Il se fait tard.It's getting late.This sentence is useful for saying 'it is getting late' using tard.Tatoeba #1957707 by sacredceltic, translation #599230 by Dejo
- Il est trop tard.It is too late.This sentence is useful for saying 'it is too late' using tard.Tatoeba #912132 by sacredceltic, translation #456133 by lukaszpp
- Il est très tard.It's very late.This sentence is useful for saying 'it is very late' using tard.Tatoeba #5664458 by Yemana, translation #2249361 by CK
- Je suis en retard pour la réunion.I am late for the meeting.
- Nous sommes en retard sur l'horaire prévu pour le projet.We are behind schedule for the planned project timeline.
- J'ai du retard, désolé !I'm running late, sorry!
- Dépêche-toi ! On est à la bourre pour le cinéma.Hurry up! We are running late for the movie.
- 501 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are waiting for a friend at a cafe.
- LucasPourquoi arrive-t-elle si tard ?Why is she arriving so late?
- ChloéElle a raté son bus.She missed her bus.
- LucasC'est tard pour un rendez-vous.It is late for an appointment.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord avec toi, Lucas.I agree with you, Lucas.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
