Skip to content

spät

late

adjective SHPAYT Common

Usage Note

spät ('late') is the everyday opposite of früh ('early') and asks the time in Wie spät ist es? ('What time is it?', literally 'how late is it'). Its comparative später doubles as 'later (on)'. The sp- is pronounced 'shp' as in all German word-initial sp-.

Examples

"Es ist schon spät."

Natural Translation

It's already late.

Literal Translation

It is already late.

Explore German by topic