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How to Say ‘A delay of more than fifteen minutes’ in Portuguese

Um atraso superior a quinze minutos

oong ah-TRAH-zoo soo-peh-RYOR ah KEEN-z mee-NOO-toosh

[oong ah-TRAH-zoo soo-peh-RYOR ah KEEN-z mee-NOO-toosh]

🇵🇹 In Portugal: Many Portuguese restaurants hold a table for about 15 minutes, then may give it away. Call ahead if you're running late.

Phrase Breakdown

Um atraso

oong ah-TRAH-zoo

A delay

'Atraso' means 'delay' or 'lateness'. 'Um' is nasal and links to 'atraso', so it sounds like 'umatrázu'.

Example

Peço desculpa pelo atraso.

I apologise for the delay.

Words in this phrase

[oong]

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Em «um» prazer, o artigo introduz a expressão educada.

In “a” pleasure, the article introduces the polite expression.

atraso

[ah-TRAH-zoo]

delay / lateness

Masculine noun meaning a delay or being late.

Example

O comboio tem um atraso.

The train has a delay.

superior a quinze minutos

soo-peh-RYOR ah KEEN-z mee-NOO-toosh

of more than fifteen minutes

This describes the delay as longer than fifteen minutes. It's common in rules and policies.

Example

A espera foi superior a quinze minutos.

The wait was more than fifteen minutes.

Words in this phrase

superior

[soo-peh-RYOR]

greater / more than

Higher or exceeding; 'superior a' means more than.

Example

Um valor superior a cem euros.

An amount over a hundred euros.

[ah]

In European Portuguese, this particle is used with an infinitive to show an ongoing action.

Example

Estou a aprender novas estratégias de networking.

I am learning new networking strategies.

quinze

[KEEN-z]

fifteen

The number 15.

Example

Tenho quinze minutos.

I have fifteen minutes.

minutos

[mee-NOO-toosh]

minutes

Plural of 'minuto', a minute; used to say how long it takes to get somewhere.

Example

A estação fica a dez minutos daqui.

The station is ten minutes from here.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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