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How to Say ‘If you're running late’ in French

En cas de retard

on kah duh ruh-TAR

[on kah duh ruh-TAR]

💬 Usage Tip: Retard means "lateness", not anything rude. En cas de + a noun means "in case of": en cas d'annulation "in case of cancellation".

Phrase Breakdown

En cas

on kah

In case

'En' is nasal (like 'on' in 'long'). The S of 'cas' is silent: 'an ka'.

Example

En cas de pluie, on reste ici.

In case of rain, we stay here.

Words in this phrase

[on]

A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.

Example

Il est en France.

He is in France.

cas

[kah]

case

Masculine noun; 'en cas de' means in the event of.

Example

Appelez en cas de problème.

Call in case of a problem.

de retard

duh ruh-TAR

of delay / of being late

'Retard' means 'delay', not the English word. Say 'deu reu-tar', with a silent D.

Example

Désolé pour le retard.

Sorry for the delay.

Words in this phrase

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

retard

[ruh-TAR]

delay / lateness

Masculine noun for being late.

Example

Désolé pour le retard.

Sorry for the delay.

Guides for French learners

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.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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