llegamos tarde
/ʝeɡamos taɾde/from spelling rules
The English phrase "we are late" is expressed in Spanish as llegamos tarde.
This phrase is a statement used to indicate that one or more people have arrived after an expected or scheduled time.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, llegamos tarde means "we arrived late."
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝeɡamos taɾde/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying estamos tarde by translating the English phrase literally. Instead, use the verb llegar (to arrive) as seen in llegamos tarde.
Did you know?
- Because llegamos is the same form for both the present and past tense, llegamos tarde can mean 'we are late' or 'we were late'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the concept of tarde is flexible. Arriving fifteen to thirty minutes after a scheduled time for a social gathering is often not considered tarde at all.
- The adverb tarde shares a common Latin ancestor, tardē, with the English word 'tardy'.
Examples in context
- Estamos atrasados porque el tráfico está terrible.We are late because the traffic is terrible.
- Lo siento, llegamos tarde.I am sorry, we are late.
- Si no corremos, llegamos tarde a la clase.If we don't run, we will be late for class.
- No te preocupes, llegamos tarde de todos modos.Don't worry, we are late anyway.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are walking towards a movie theater.
- Elena¡Corre, Daniel! Llegamos tarde a la película.Run, Daniel! We are late for the movie.
- DanielTranquila, Elena, todavía hay tiempo.Calm down, Elena, there is still time.
- ElenaNo lo creo, ya empezó la función.I don't think so, the show has already started.
- DanielTienes razón, llegamos tarde.You are right, we are late.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tarde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
