A small green tortoise is slowly crawling across a grassy field toward a red flag marking a finish line, emphasizing the duration required for the journey.

tardar

tar-dar

verbA1regular ar

to take time?to require a duration,to be long?referring to a process

Also:to delay?to be late,to spend time?on an action

Quick Reference

past Participletardado

infinitivetardar

gerundtardando

📝 In Action

¿Cuánto tardas en llegar a la oficina?

How long does it take you to get to the office?

El tren tardó dos horas debido a la nieve.

The train was delayed by two hours due to the snow.

No tardes mucho, por favor. Te estamos esperando.

Don't take too long, please. We are waiting for you.

Aunque la receta es compleja, solo tardamos treinta minutos en prepararla.

Although the recipe is complicated, we only took thirty minutes to prepare it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

demorar (to delay)
dilatar (to prolong)
atrasarse (to run late)

Antonyms

apresurarse (to hurry)
adelantar (to advance)

Common Collocations

tardar mucho tiempo – to take a long time
tardar en contestar – to take time to answer

💡 Grammar Points

Using 'tardar' with 'en'

When you say how long you take to do an action, you must follow 'tardar' with the word 'en' and then the action verb in its base form (infinitive): 'Tardé una hora en terminar' (I took an hour to finish).

Tardar vs. Durar

Use 'tardar' when the focus is on the subject (the person doing the action) and the time they require. Use 'durar' when the focus is on the event itself and its total length: 'El viaje tardó (I took time)' vs. 'La película duró (The movie lasted)'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Incorrect Preposition

Mistake: "Tardo diez minutos *para* llegar."

Correction: Tardo diez minutos *en* llegar. Use 'en' to link 'tardar' to the action that is taking time.

⭐ Usage Tips

Focus on Subject

Remember that 'tardar' is usually conjugated to match the person who is taking the time. For example, 'él tarda' (he takes time), 'nosotros tardamos' (we take time).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

vosotrostardáis

él/ella/ustedtarda

tútardas

yotardo

nosotrostardamos

ellos/ellas/ustedestardan

preterite

vosotrostardasteis

él/ella/ustedtardó

tútardaste

yotardé

nosotrostardamos

ellos/ellas/ustedestardaron

imperfect

vosotrostardabais

él/ella/ustedtardaba

tútardabas

yotardaba

nosotrostardábamos

ellos/ellas/ustedestardaban

subjunctive

present

vosotrostardéis

él/ella/ustedtarde

tútardes

yotarde

nosotrostardemos

ellos/ellas/ustedestarden

imperfect

vosotrostardarais/tardaseis

él/ella/ustedtardara/tardase

tútardaras/tardases

yotardara/tardase

nosotrostardáramos/tardásemos

ellos/ellas/ustedestardaran/tardasen

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: tardar

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'tardar' to express the time required for an action?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

tardanza(delay, lateness) - noun

tarde(afternoon; late (adverb)) - adverb/noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'tardar' always used with a specific amount of time?

No, you can use 'tardar' generally, like 'Tardas mucho' (You take a long time), or specifically, like 'Tardé diez minutos' (I took ten minutes). It can also be used to mean 'to be late,' as in 'Siempre llegas tarde' (You always arrive late) or 'Tardaste en llegar' (You were late arriving).

What is the key difference between 'tardar' and 'demorar'?

They are synonyms, both meaning 'to delay' or 'to take time.' 'Tardar' is generally more common and versatile, especially in everyday conversation about time required for tasks. 'Demorar' is often used in slightly more formal contexts or when talking about unexpected delays (traffic, bureaucracy).