spät
German
Etymology
From Middle High German [Term?], from Old High German spāti. Cognate with Hunsrik sped, from Low German späd, archaic Dutch spade (“late”). Probably related to sparen (“to spare, conserve”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃpɛːt/ (used naturally in western Germany and Switzerland)
- IPA(key): /ʃpeːt/ (overall more common; particularly northern and eastern regions)
- Rhymes: -ɛːt, -eːt
audio (Germany) (file) audio (Austria) (file)
Adjective
spät (comparative später, superlative am spätesten)
Usage notes
- The English phrase “I'm late” cannot be literally translated into German (*Ich bin spät). Colloquial German has Ich bin zu spät, and more formal versions are Ich komme zu spät and Ich bin verspätet.
- The phrase Ich bin spät dran implies slight lateness or can mean that one has been delayed but may still manage to arrive on time.
Declension
Antonyms
Related terms
Compounds
Further reading
- “spät” in Duden online
Categories:
- German terms inherited from Middle High German
- German terms derived from Middle High German
- German terms inherited from Old High German
- German terms derived from Old High German
- German 1-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:German/ɛːt
- Rhymes:German/eːt
- German terms with audio links
- German lemmas
- German adjectives