Introduction
Tardar means “to take (time), to be late”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Tardar means to take time or to be late, and it is the verb for durations: tardar dos horas en llegar, tardar mucho. It takes en plus an infinitive for the activity, and it is fully regular. The construction tardar en is one of the most useful time expressions in Spanish. This page shows tardar 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 present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” — I take two hours to arrive.
Tardar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how tardar 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 tardar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Tardo dos horas en llegar.” — I take two hours to arrive.
“¿Tardas mucho en vestirse?” — Do you take a long time to get dressed?
“Tarda una semana en terminar.” — He/she takes a week to finish.
“Nosotros tardamos poco en cocinar.” — We take a short time to cook.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show tardar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo tardé dos horas en llegar.” — Yesterday, I took two hours to arrive. (preterite)
“Antes, él tardaba mucho en vestirse.” — Before, he used to take a long time to get dressed. (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 tardar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros tardaremos una semana en terminar.” — Tomorrow, we will take a week to finish. (future)
“¿Tú has tardado poco en cocinar?” — Have you taken a short time to cook? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros tardáis dos horas en llegar.” — You take two hours to arrive.
“Ellos tardan mucho en vestirse.” — They take a long time to get dressed.
“Yo tardo una semana en terminar.” — I take a week to finish.
“Mi padre tarda poco en cocinar.” — My father takes a short time to cook.
Tardar 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 tardar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú tardas mucho en vestirse?” — Do you take a long time to get dressed?
Pedro: “Sí, yo tardo dos horas en llegar.” — Yes, I take two hours to arrive.
Marta: “Nosotros tardamos poco en cocinar.” — We take a short time to cook.
Pedro: “Y ellos tardan mucho en vestirse.” — And they take a long time to get dressed.
Marta: “Vosotros tardáis una semana en terminar.” — You take a week to finish.
Pedro: “Sí, y él tarda dos horas en llegar.” — Yes, and he takes two hours to arrive.
A short paragraph
Tarda dos horas en llegar, y nosotros tardamos poco en cocinar. Yo tardo mucho en vestirse, y ellos tardan una semana en terminar. Tardar is part of everyday life, because take (time), to be late is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with tardar
These are the errors learners actually make with tardar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo tarda dos horas en llegar.” Right: “Yo tardo dos horas en llegar.” Why: The person matters: tarda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tardo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo tardo mucho en vestirse.” Right: “Ayer yo tardé mucho en vestirse.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: tardo is happening now, while tardé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating tardar and demorar as identical in every context.” Right: “Tardar means to take (time), to be late, while demorar means to delay.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tardar fits sentences such as Tardo dos horas en llegar, while demorar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy tardado mucho en vestirse.” Right: “Yo he tardado mucho en vestirse.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tardado, has tardado, ha tardado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo tardé una semana en terminar todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo tardaba una semana en terminar todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tardaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tardé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: tardar in use
Ten questions on tardar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ dos horas en llegar.” (You take two hours to arrive.)
- (a) tardáis
- (b) tardo
- (c) tardas
Answer: tardáis — The vosotros/as form of tardar in the present tense is tardáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ mucho en vestirse.” (They take a long time to get dressed.)
- (a) tardas
- (b) tardan
- (c) tardo
Answer: tardan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of tardar in the present tense is tardan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ dos horas en llegar.” (Yesterday I took two hours to arrive.)
- (a) tardaste
- (b) tardó
- (c) tardé
Answer: tardé — In the preterite, the yo form of tardar is tardé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ mucho en vestirse.” (Before, he used to take a long time to get dressed.)
- (a) tardaba
- (b) tardo
- (c) tardabas
Answer: tardaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of tardar is tardaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ una semana en terminar.” (Tomorrow we will take a week to finish.)
- (a) tardarás
- (b) tardaremos
- (c) tardaré
Answer: tardaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of tardar is tardaremos.
6. What does tardar mean in English?
- (a) to take (time), to be late
- (b) to testify
- (c) to delay
Answer: to take (time), to be late — Tardar means “to take (time), to be late”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo tarda dos horas en llegar.
- (b) Ellos tarda mucho en vestirse.
- (c) Yo tardo dos horas en llegar.
Answer: Yo tardo dos horas en llegar. — “Yo tardo dos horas en llegar.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I take two hours to arrive.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre tarda poco en cocinar.
- (b) Tardo dos horas en llegar.
- (c) Tardan dos horas en llegar.
Answer: Tardo dos horas en llegar. — “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of tardar in the present tense?
- (a) tardo
- (b) tardas
- (c) tardamos
Answer: tardamos — The nosotros form is tardamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros tardaremos una semana en terminar.
- (b) Tardo dos horas en llegar.
- (c) Ayer, yo tardé dos horas en llegar.
Answer: Tardo dos horas en llegar. — “Tardo dos horas en llegar.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I take two hours to arrive' in Spanish?
Say 'Tardo dos horas en llegar'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Tardo dos horas en llegar todos los días'.
How do you say 'He takes a long time to get dressed' in Spanish?
Say 'Él tarda mucho en vestirse'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes tarda.
What is the difference between tardar and demorar?
Tardar means to take (time), to be late, while demorar means to delay. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tardar when you mean to take (time), to be late, as in 'Tardo dos horas en llegar', and use demorar for to delay.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tardar — every tense of tardar in one place.
- Tardar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on tardar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of tardar until they are automatic.