Introduction

retrasarse means “to be late”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to be late” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows retrasarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “El tren se retrasa diez minutos por la mañana.” — “The train is late ten minutes.”

retrasarse in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retrasarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “El tren se retrasa diez minutos cada día.” — “The train is late ten minutes.”
  2. “El tren se retrasa diez minutos cada día.” — “The train is late ten minutes.”
  3. “El tren se retrasa diez minutos siempre.” — “The train is late ten minutes.”
  4. “El tren se retrasa diez minutos todos los días.” — “The train is late ten minutes.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “El tren se retrasó diez minutos ayer.” — “The train was late ten minutes.” (preterite) 6. “El tren se retrasó diez minutos ayer.” — “The train was late ten minutes.” (preterite) 7. “El tren se retrasaba diez minutos cuando era joven.” — “The train used to be late ten minutes.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “El tren se retrasará diez minutos mañana.” — “The train will be late ten minutes.” (future) 9. “El tren se ha retrasado diez minutos hoy.” — “The train has been late ten minutes.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que el tren se retrase diez minutos.” — “I hope that the train is late ten minutes.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “El tren se retrasa diez minutos cada semana.” — “The train is late ten minutes.” 12. “Los trenes se retrasan diez minutos normalmente.” — “The trains are late ten minutes.”

retrasarse in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how retrasarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿El tren se retrasa diez minutos?” — The train is late ten minutes?

Diego: “Sí, el tren se retrasa diez minutos cada día.” — Yes, it is late ten minutes every day.

Sofía: “¿Y los trenes? ¿También se retrasan diez minutos?” — And the others? They are late ten minutes too?

Diego: “Sí, todos se retrasan diez minutos. Es normal.” — Yes, they all are late ten minutes. It is normal.

A short paragraph

El tren se retrasa diez minutos cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how retrasarse works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo retraso diez minutos — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make retrasarse yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retrasé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retrase — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of retrasarse.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For retrasarse, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: retrasamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Because retrasarse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me retraso diez minutos, not yo retraso diez minutos. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he retrasado diez minutos. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy retrasado is not the present perfect of retrasarse — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing retrasarse with retirar

retrasarse and retirar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of retrasarse — be late — the sentence needs retrasarse; if it needs the meaning of retirar, use that verb instead.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of retrasarse in the present?

  • A. retrasas
  • B. retrasa
  • C. retrasamos
  • D. retraso

2. What is the tu form of retrasarse in the preterite?

  • A. retrasamos
  • B. retrasaste
  • C. retrasé
  • D. retrasó

3. What is the el form of retrasarse in the imperfect?

  • A. retrasabas
  • B. retrasábamos
  • C. retrasabais
  • D. retrasaba

4. What is the nosotros form of retrasarse in the future?

  • A. retrasará
  • B. retrasaremos
  • C. retrasaré
  • D. retrasarás

5. What is the vosotros form of retrasarse in the present perfect?

  • A. he retrasado
  • B. has retrasado
  • C. ha retrasado
  • D. habéis retrasado

6. What is the ellos form of retrasarse in the present subjunctive?

  • A. retrase
  • B. retrasen
  • C. retrase
  • D. retrases

7. What is the yo form of retrasarse in the preterite?

  • A. retrasaste
  • B. retrasó
  • C. retrasamos
  • D. retrasé

8. What is the tu form of retrasarse in the imperfect?

  • A. retrasábamos
  • B. retrasabas
  • C. retrasaba
  • D. retrasaba

9. What is the el form of retrasarse in the future?

  • A. retrasaré
  • B. retrasarás
  • C. retrasaremos
  • D. retrasará

10. What is the nosotros form of retrasarse in the conditional?

  • A. retrasaría
  • B. retrasaríamos
  • C. retrasaría
  • D. retrasarías

Answer key

  1. retraso — The present table gives yo = retraso.
  2. retrasaste — The preterite table gives tu = retrasaste.
  3. retrasaba — The imperfect table gives el = retrasaba.
  4. retrasaremos — The future table gives nosotros = retrasaremos.
  5. habéis retrasado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retrasado.
  6. retrasen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retrasen.
  7. retrasé — The preterite table gives yo = retrasé.
  8. retrasabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retrasabas.
  9. retrasará — The future table gives el = retrasará.
  10. retrasaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retrasaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use retrasarse in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “El tren se retrasa diez minutos.” — “The train is late ten minutes.” Do not forget the reflexive pronoun: it goes before the verb. Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of retrasarse to learn first?

Learn the present yo form retraso first, then the preterite yo form retrasé and the participle retrasado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund retrasando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is retrasarse reflexive?

Yes — retrasarse is reflexive, so it always takes me, te, se, nos, os or se. You say yo me retraso, never just yo retraso. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, or attached to the infinitive and gerund.

Where can I see the full conjugation of retrasarse?

On the main conjugation page for retrasarse, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links