⏱️2️⃣0️⃣⏰❗

How to Say ‘Twenty minutes late’ in French

Vingt minutes de retard

van mee-NEWT duh ruh-TAR

[van mee-NEWT duh ruh-TAR]

🇫🇷 In France: Delays on trains and the metro are a favourite office complaint. Saying how many minutes late you were is a standard way to start the grumbling.

Phrase Breakdown

Vingt minutes

van mee-NEWT

Twenty minutes

The 'gt' in 'vingt' is silent: 'van mee-NOOT'. The 'u' is said with rounded lips.

Example

J'arrive dans vingt minutes.

I'll arrive in twenty minutes.

Words in this phrase

Vingt

[van]

twenty

The number 20; '20 heures' means 8 pm.

Example

Vingt euros par personne.

Twenty euros per person.

minutes

[mee-NEWT]

minutes

Plural of 'minute', units of time.

Example

Attendez cinq minutes.

Wait five minutes.

de retard

duh ruh-TAR

late (of delay)

'Retard' means 'delay'. The final 'd' is silent: 'duh ruh-TAR'.

Example

Le bus a du retard.

The bus is late.

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

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

Get the Full Learning Experience

This lesson is just a preview. Download PrettyFluent to practice pronunciation, roleplay conversations, and master vocabulary with spaced repetition.

Pronunciation Feedback

AI-powered feedback on what you say out loud

Spaced Repetition

Retain vocabulary long-term with smart practice

Immersive Roleplaying

Practice real conversations with AI partners

Lessons for Your Situation

Request lessons tailored to your specific needs

Get Full Lesson

What Learners Are Saying

“Moved to Lyon for a culinary apprenticeship. The food and restaurant lessons were exactly what I needed — my French colleagues were genuinely impressed.”

Tom H., 38, Chef

“Studying in Paris and the academic French I learned in school was useless for daily life. This app filled the gap in weeks, not months.”

Nina W., 29, Graduate Student

“Learning a language has never been as immediately impactful. Now I can charm the locals and navigate the food scene like a boss.”

Alex M., 42, Software Engineer