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tardar

to take long

verb tahr-DAHR Less Common

Also means

to be late

Usage Note

Tardar expresses the time taken to do something — tarda dos horas en llegar ('it takes two hours to arrive'). When someone arrives later than expected, llegar tarde ('to arrive late') is more natural than tardar. The expression a más tardar means 'at the latest'.

Examples

"El autobús tarda media hora en llegar."

Natural Translation

The bus takes half an hour to arrive.

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