Learn Spanish (Latin America): Nunca llego a tiempo.

Nunca llego a tiempo.

I never arrive on time.

Breakdown of Nunca llego a tiempo.

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Questions & Answers about Nunca llego a tiempo.

Can I say Llego a tiempo nunca?

No, you would need to add no before the verb. In Spanish, if a negative word like nunca goes after the verb, you must make it a double negative: No llego a tiempo nunca. Placing nunca at the beginning, as in this sentence, avoids needing the extra no.

Why is it a tiempo and not en tiempo for 'on time'?

A tiempo is a fixed phrase in Spanish meaning 'on time' or 'in time'. Prepositions rarely translate word-for-word between English and Spanish, so it is best to memorize a tiempo as a set chunk rather than trying to translate the English word 'on'.

Could I use the word puntual instead of a tiempo here?

Yes! You could say Nunca soy puntual (I am never punctual). Both are very natural in Spanish, but note that puntual is an adjective describing you, so it uses the verb ser (soy), whereas a tiempo describes the action of arriving, so it is used here with the verb llegar.

This lesson is about using tardar for delays. How could I express a similar idea using that structure?