Breakdown of No te demores; la cena está lista.
no
no, not
estar
to be (location/state)
listo
ready
la cena
the dinner
demorar
to take time, to delay (LatAm; = tardar)
Questions & Answers about No te demores; la cena está lista.
The current lesson is about tardar. Can I use no tardes here instead of no te demores?
Yes, no tardes means the exact same thing. In Latin America, demorarse is very commonly used as a reflexive verb to mean taking a long time or being delayed, making it a great alternative to tardar.
Why does the verb end in -es (demores) if demorar is an -ar verb?
This is a negative command for tú (informal you). When telling someone not to do something, Spanish swaps the usual vowel for the present subjunctive ending. For -ar verbs like demorar, the -as changes to -es.
Why is the pronoun te placed before the verb instead of attached to it?
Pronoun placement changes depending on whether a command is positive or negative. For negative commands, pronouns must go between no and the verb. If this were a positive command like 'take your time', the pronoun would attach to the end to form demórate.
Learn No te demores; la cena está lista and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free