German word
How to say “to be late” in German
The German for “to be late”, with audio, grammar notes and the words that go with it.
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German · lesson preview
Step 4Wie spät ist es?
What time is it?
- Order
- Translate
- Listen
- Speak
Say it out loud. Green landed, yellow was close.
Start freeto be late
zu spät sein
Hear it and say it
German
zu spät sein
to be late
Tap the speaker, then say it back. Audio uses your device’s own German voice and appears when it has one.
German words and phrases that go with it
Learn these next. They are among the most common everyday German words and sentences.
Where this fits
“to be late” is word 277 of our most-common-words list in the 4ToSpeak German guides. Browse every German word and phrase A–Z or work through the common words in order.
How do you say “to be late” in German?
“to be late” in German is “zu spät sein”.
What does “zu spät sein” mean in English?
“zu spät sein” is German for “to be late”.
How do I remember “zu spät sein”?
Say it out loud in a sentence, not on its own. Hear it, say it, then use it in a full German sentence. That is how every 4ToSpeak lesson works.
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Use “zu spät sein” in a sentence
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