French · Travel & Getting Around
"Delay" in French: retard
le retard
Delay in French is le retard, masculine: le train a du retard. Être en retard means to be late. Un retard de vingt minutes is a twenty-minute delay.
Station screen
Le TGV a vingt minutes de retard.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce retard
Say it
ruh-TAR
/ʁə.taʁ/
Retard: ruh-TAR. Soft French r at both ends of the feel; stress on -tar.
"Delay" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| le retard | the delay / lateness Trains, planes, people. | Trains, planes, people. |
| en retard | late Je suis en retard. | Je suis en retard. |
| avoir du retard | to be delayed / running late Transport announcements. | Transport announcements. |
| un retard de… | a delay of… With a duration. | With a duration. |
How to use retard in real life
- 1Station screen
Le TGV a vingt minutes de retard.
The TGV has a twenty-minute delay.
De retard after the duration.
- 2Texting a friend
Désolé, j'ai du retard sur la route.
Sorry — I've got a delay on the road.
Avoir du retard.
- 3Meeting start
On commence malgré le retard de Paul ?
Shall we start despite Paul's delay?
Le retard de + name.
Mistakes English speakers make with retard
Incorrect: Je suis retard.
Correct: Je suis en retard.
Need en: être en retard.
Incorrect: Le train a une delay.
Correct: Le train a du retard.
Use retard, not English delay.
Good to know
SNCF boards show retard in minutes. A small excuse — désolé pour le retard — is normal politeness when you arrive late.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Waiting for a train
ChatPal
Tu as vu ? Il y a du retard sur la ligne.
Did you see? There's a delay on the line.
You
Oui, quinze minutes de retard annoncées.
Yes — fifteen minutes' delay announced.
ChatPal
Bon, on attend sans stresser pour ce retard.
Well, we'll wait without stressing over this delay.
You
Je prends un café en attendant.
I'll grab a coffee while we wait.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Delay" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Delay" in French
How do you say delay in French?
Le retard (masculine).
How do you say I'm late?
Je suis en retard.
How do you say a 10-minute delay?
Dix minutes de retard / un retard de dix minutes.
How do you pronounce retard?
ruh-TAR.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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