Essere in ritardo
Use essere in ritardo to say to be late in Italian.
| Literal translation | To be in delay |
| IPA pronunciation | /ˈessere in riˈtardo/ |
| You do NOT say |
Essere in ritardo
To be late
Late as an adjective is an adverb in Italian and it is translated as tardi. You can translate “to be late” also as fare tardi, especially when it’s used in the past (“you were late and you arrived late”).
Examples
Ho perso l’autobus e ora sono in ritardo.
I missed the bus, and now I’m late.
A volte i treni possono essere in ritardo.
Trains can be late sometimes.
Siamo in ritardo per la lezione.
We are late for the lesson.
Non voglio fare tardi all’appuntamento.
I don’t want to be late for the appointment.
Oggi ho fatto tardi al lavoro.
I was late for work today.
➡️ Related lessons
- Essere (to be)
- Ritardo (delay)
- Prepositions
- All Italian Lingookies
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
Aiuta Lingookies con un 👍!
❤️ If you liked this Lingookie on how to say to be late in Italian, share it with your friends!