……
Breakdown of okureru
slow; late
遅
A sheep always walks slowly, especially when it's carrying a flag. Therefore, it's always late.
Usages of okureru
バス が 遅かった から、 学校 に 遅れました。basu ga osokatta kara, gakkou ni okuremashita.
Because the bus was late, I was late for school.
トラフィック で 遅れた。torafikku de okureta.
I was late because of traffic.
きっと 彼ら は 遅れる。kitto karera wa okureru.
They will surely be late.
飛行機 は 遅れる か。hikouki wa okureru ka.
Will the airplane be delayed?
事故 の ため に 電車 が 遅れました。jiko no tame ni densha ga okuremashita.
The train was delayed because of an accident.
早く 起きない と、 遅れます よ。hayaku okinai to, okuremasu yo.
If you don't get up quickly, you'll be late.
電車 が 早ければ、 遅れません。densha ga hayakereba, okuremasen.
If the train is early, I won’t be late.
電車 が 早く なければ、 遅れます。densha ga hayaku nakereba, okuremasu.
If the train is not early, I will be late.
遅れて すみません。okurete sumimasen.
I'm sorry for being late.
Test yourself: What does okureru mean?
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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