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How to Say ‘And they always come out late.’ in French

Et ils sortent toujours en retard.

eh eel SORT too-joor ahn ruh-tar

[eh eel SORT too-joor ahn ruh-tar]

💬 Usage Tip: Toujours "always" goes right after the verb, not before it. For example, Il arrive toujours tôt "He always arrives early."

Phrase Breakdown

Et ils sortent

eh eel SORT

And they come out

Say 'ay eel SORT'. The '-ent' ending of the verb is silent.

Example

Et ils sortent de l'école.

And they come out of school.

Words in this phrase

Et

[eh]

and

Joins two thoughts or questions together.

Example

Et vous êtes venu aussi?

And did you come too?

ils

[eel]

they

Third person plural subject pronoun.

Example

Ils sont ici.

They are here.

sortent

[SORT]

come out

Present tense 'they' form of sortir, to go or come out.

Example

Les élèves sortent à seize heures.

The pupils come out at four.

toujours en retard.

too-joor ahn ruh-tar

always late.

Link 'toujours' and 'en' with a Z sound: 'too-zhoor-zahn ruh-TAR'. The D is silent.

Example

Il arrive toujours en retard.

He always arrives late.

Words in this phrase

toujours

[too-joor]

always

At all times; on all occasions.

Example

Elle est toujours en avance.

She is always early.

en

[ahn]

in

Part of the fixed phrase 'en retard', meaning late.

Example

Je suis en retard.

I'm late.

retard

[ruh-tar]

lateness

Noun meaning delay or lateness, common in school situations.

Example

Dans « Excusez-moi pour le retard. », « retard » parle du fait d'arriver tard.

In “Excuse me for being late.”, “retard” refers to arriving late.

Related guides

French Conversation for Beginners: 6 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseSix basic French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour and introducing yourself to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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