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How to Say ‘Late’ in Italian

In ritardo

een ree-TAR-doh

[een ree-TAR-doh]

💬 Usage Tip: "Late" for a person or train is in ritardo, literally "in delay", not a single word. Swap in a person: Sono in ritardo "I'm late".

Phrase Breakdown

[een]

Preposition used to indicate being inside or part of a place or organization.

Example

Uso "in" quando parlo del lavoro in un'organizzazione.

I use "in" when I talk about working in an organization.

ritardo

[ree-TAR-doh]

delay / lateness

A noun meaning 'delay' or 'being late.' Common in travel and reservation situations.

Example

Per un ritardo? Possiamo tenere il tavolo ancora un po'.

For a delay? We can keep the table a little longer.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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