Questions & Answers about Non voglio fare ritardo alla riunione.
Why is the verb fare used with ritardo? How does fare ritardo differ from other ways to say “be late”?
In Italian, fare combines with nouns to form many idiomatic expressions (e.g. fare una pausa, fare un favore). Here:
- fare ritardo literally means “to make a delay” and idiomatically “to be late.”
- essere in ritardo focuses on the state of being late (“to be late”).
- arrivare in ritardo stresses the act of arriving late.
You can choose based on nuance:
• fare ritardo – more neutral, all-around “I/end up being late.”
• essere in ritardo – describes your condition (“I am late”).
• arrivare in ritardo – about the moment you arrive.
Why isn’t there an article before ritardo? For instance, why not fare un ritardo alla riunione?
- fare ritardo is a fixed idiom and normally appears without an article when you speak in general terms: Non voglio fare ritardo (“I don’t want to be late”).
- You can use an article if you specify the delay as a countable event or its duration:
• Ha fatto un ritardo di dieci minuti. (“He was ten minutes late.”)
• Ha fatto un grosso ritardo. (“He made a big delay.”)
Can I say non voglio arrivare in ritardo alla riunione instead?