French dictionary
tard/taʁ/
adverb · A2 · Frequency 326
adverb
Meanings
late
Used to indicate a delay in time or later than expected.
late (in the day or night)
Used to indicate a late time of day, such as evening or night.
Examples
Le train est arrivé tard à cause d'un problème technique.
The train arrived late because of a technical problem.
Elle travaille tard quand un projet approche de son échéance.
She works late when a project is nearing its deadline.
Nous avons compris trop tard que la porte était restée ouverte.
We realized too late that the door had been left open.
Collocations
- arriver tardarrive late
Common mistakes
Je suis tard pour le rendez-vous.
Je suis en retard pour le rendez-vous.
The adverb tard cannot directly follow être to say that someone is late; use the fixed expression être en retard.