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How to Say ‘I am late.’ in French

Je suis en retard.

zhuh swee ahn ruh-tar

[zhuh swee ahn ruh-tar]

Phrase Breakdown

Je

[zhuh]

I

Subject pronoun for the speaker.

Example

Dans « Je suis en retard. », « Je » veut dire « I ».

In “I am late.”, “Je” means “I”.

suis

[swee]

am

Form of être used with je.

Example

Dans « Je suis en retard. », « suis » veut dire « am ».

In “I am late.”, “suis” means “am”.

en

[ahn]

in

Preposition used in the expression en retard, meaning late.

Example

Dans « Je suis en retard. », « en » fait partie de l'expression fixe.

In “I am late.”, “en” is part of the fixed expression.

retard

[ruh-tar]

late

Noun used in the expression en retard to mean being late.

Example

Dans « Je suis en retard. », « retard » indique qu'on arrive après l'heure.

In “I am late.”, “retard” indicates arriving after the expected time.

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