देर से (der se)

adverb A common adverbial phrase meaning 'late' -- built from देर (der, 'delay/lateness') plus the postposition से (se). One core sense, used constantly to talk about arriving or doing things late.

Sense 1 : late (in time)

adverb

Synonyms: विलंब से (vilamb se, formal)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: In Delhi-NCR daily life, देर से (der se) is the go-to phrase for the universal complaint about traffic and trains: बस देर से आई (bas der se aaii, 'the bus came late'). It pairs naturally with सॉरी (sorii) or माफ़ करो (maaf karo) when apologizing for being late yourself, as in माफ़ करो, देर से आया (maaf karo, der se aayaa, 'sorry, I came late').

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say देर (der) alone when they mean 'late' as an adverb, but देर से (der se) is the phrase actually used with verbs of arriving/coming: वह देर से आया (vah der se aayaa, 'he came late') -- देर (der) by itself functions more like a noun ('a delay/a while'), as in मुझे देर हो गई (mujhe der ho gaii, 'I got delayed'). 2) Do not confuse देर से (der se) 'late' with देर तक (der tak) 'for a long time' -- से (se) marks the late starting point, तक (tak) marks extended duration.

Sample Sentences:

सॉरी, मुझे आने में देर से हो गई। Sorry, I ended up coming late.

(sorii, mujhe aane men der se ho gaii।)

बस हमेशा देर से आती है। The bus always comes late.

(bas hameshaa der se aatii hai।)

वह ऑफिस में देर से पहुँच रहा है। He is reaching the office late.

(vah ophis men der se pahunch rahaa hai।)

कल रात हम बहुत देर से सोए। Last night we slept very late.

(kal raat ham bahut der se soe।)

अगर तुम देर से आओगे तो मीटिंग छूट जाएगी। If you come late, you will miss the meeting.

(agar tum der se aaoge to miiting chhoot jaaegii।)

देर से मत आना, प्लीज़। Please don't come late.

(der se mat aanaa, pliiz।)

अगर मैं देर से पहुँचता तो बॉस नाराज़ हो जाता। If I had reached late, the boss would have gotten angry.

(agar main der se pahunchtaa to bos naaraaz ho jaataa।)

ट्रेन इतनी देर से आई कि सब परेशान हो गए। The train came so late that everyone got upset.

(tren itnii der se aaii ki sab pareshaan ho gae।)

माफ़ करो, देर से आया, रास्ते में जाम था। Sorry, I came late, there was a jam on the way.

(maaf karo, der se aayaa, raaste men jaam thaa।)

कहीं ऐसा न हो कि हम देर से पहुँचें और दरवाज़ा बंद मिले। Let's hope it's not the case that we arrive late and find the door closed.

(kahiin aisaa n ho ki ham der se pahunchen aur darvaazaa band mile।)

अनुरोध है कि उम्मीदवार देर से न आएँ। It is requested that candidates not arrive late.

(anurodh hai ki ummiidvaar der se n aaen।)

देर से किया गया काम भी काम आता है। Even work done late proves useful.

(der se kiyaa gayaa kaam bhii kaam aataa hai।)