tardará
tar-da-RÁ
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
El paquete tardará tres días en llegar.
B1The package will take three days to arrive.
Ella dice que tardará un poco en decidir.
B2She says she will take a while to decide.
Si salimos ahora, el tráfico no tardará en formarse.
B2If we leave now, the traffic won't delay/start forming quickly.
💡 Grammar Points
Using the Future Tense
'Tardará' is the future form, meaning the action of taking time will happen later. It's built by adding the ending '-á' to the whole verb 'tardar'.
The Key Preposition 'en'
When you say how long something will take to DO something else, always use the preposition 'en' before the second verb (e.g., 'Tardará tres días EN llegar').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Tardar vs. Durar
Mistake: "Using 'Durará tres días' to mean 'It will take three days'."
Correction: Use 'Durará' only to talk about how long something lasts (e.g., a movie). Use 'Tardará' to talk about the time needed to complete an action (e.g., travel time or preparation time).
⭐ Usage Tips
Asking About Time
A very natural way to ask 'How long will it take?' is: '¿Cuánto tiempo tardará?'
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: tardará
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'tardará' to ask about travel time?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'tardará' and 'va a tardar'?
They both mean 'it will take time' or 'it will delay.' 'Tardará' is the simple future tense, often used for more formal or certain predictions. 'Va a tardar' (the immediate future) is more common in everyday spoken Spanish.
How do I know if 'tardará' refers to 'he,' 'she,' or 'it'?
You need context! Since Spanish often leaves out the subject, the meaning depends on the surrounding words. If you are talking about 'el autobús' (the bus), 'tardará' means 'it will take.' If you mentioned 'mi hermana' (my sister), 'tardará' means 'she will take/delay.'