Spanish · Travel & Getting Around

"Delay" in Spanish: retraso

el retraso

Say it: reh-TRAH-sohmasculine · el retrasonoun/re.ˈtɾa.so/

A delay is el retraso. It is masculine. Say hay un retraso for there is a delay.

Airport screen

El vuelo tiene un retraso de una hora.
The flight has a one-hour delay.
Practice Spanish out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce retraso

Say it

reh-TRAH-soh

/re.ˈtɾa.so/

reh-TRAH-soh. Stress TRAH.

"Delay" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
el retrasothe delay

Default noun.

hay un retrasothere is a delay

Announcement.

retraso de una horaone-hour delay

Time amount.

con retrasowith a delay / late

Status.

How to use retraso in real life

  1. 1Airport screen

    El vuelo tiene un retraso de una hora.

    The flight has a one-hour delay.

    Board info.

  2. 2Train

    Hay un retraso en la línea.

    There is a delay on the line.

    Transit update.

  3. 3Message

    Llego con retraso. Perdón.

    I'm arriving with a delay. Sorry.

    Apology text.

Mistakes English speakers make with retraso

Incorrect: La retraso es largo.

Correct: El retraso es largo.

Retraso is masculine: el retraso.

Incorrect: Hay un delay de dos horas.

Correct: Hay un retraso de dos horas.

Use retraso, not English delay.

Good to know

Retraso is the noun for late transport. Screens may show retraso next to the time. Ask ¿Cuánto retraso hay? for how long.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting after a delayed bus

  1. ChatPal

    Hay un retraso de veinte minutos.

    There is a twenty-minute delay.

  2. You

    ¿Otro retraso? Qué mal.

    Another delay? How bad.

  3. ChatPal

    Tomemos un café mientras.

    Let's get a coffee meanwhile.

  4. You

    Buena idea. Aviso a casa.

    Good idea. I'll text home.

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 Spanish

Gender of retraso?

Masculine: el retraso.

There is a delay?

Hay un retraso.

One-hour delay?

Retraso de una hora.

Pronounce retraso?

reh-TRAH-soh, stress TRAH.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Spanish. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.