Diseño del blog

21 enero 2022

Ana del Río

Expressions about being late 
in Spanish

As we have been able to verify after our last post, Are spaniards always late?, there is a great debate on the issue facing those who defend the veracity of the stereotype, with those who defend themselves as Spaniards and punctual.

What is clear is that the Spanish language has several expressions related to punctuality and our goal at Río Spanish School - Malta is for our students to know, understand and use them in their daily lives. 

Continue reading to discover four expressions related to being late in Spanish:

1. Te va a pillar el toro


Literally means the bull is going to catch you, but figuratively, we can understand that you are running out of time or you are reaching a deadline. Look at this example:


        - ¿A qué hora tienes que entregar el proyecto? 

        - A las cinco.

        - Pues date prisa porque te va a pillar el toro.


2. Más vale tarde que nunca


Exactly the same as in English, better late than never, this expression does not need too much explanation:


        - Hoy me he disculpado con mi exmarido por haberle engañado.

        - ¡Pero si ya han pasado diez años!

        - Bueno…Más vale tarde que nunca.


3. ¡Nos van a dar las uvas!


If you follow this blog, you already know that in Spain we have the curious tradition of eating twelve grapes at twelve o'clock on New Year's Eve and hence the expression; it is said to the one who is taking too long to do something:


       - Paco, ¿dónde estás?

       - Estoy llegando, no tardo nada.

       - Date prisa, que llegamos tarde. ¡Al final nos van a dar las uvas!


4. Vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa 


Literally, we can translate it like this: "dress me slowly, I'm in a hurry". The meaning is that it's better to do it well, even if slowly, than badly and quickly.


We all know that the more we are in a hurry, the more disastrous we become: you will stain your shirt with coffee, you will forget your mobile or your car keys at home and you will end up wasting a lot of time. This expression encourages us to think and act more slowly, because although it seems that it takes longer, in the end it will compensate.


       - ¡Venga, rápido! ¡Que llegamos tarde!

       - Shh, Me estás estresando. Vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa.



If you are a Spanish teacher and you want your students to learn how to talk about being late in Spanish, check out our lastest teaching material available in our shop:


Explore our shop to find many other teaching materials:

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