When do you use tôt and when en advance
Look at these sentences:
Je suis désolé d'être en retard
I'm sorry I'm late
Notice that to say that you are late/early/on time in French, you use the expressions:
(être) en retard
(être) en avance
(être) à l'heure
See also Expressing timeliness (late, early) - precise
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Nous voulons vraiment arriver à l'heure
We really want to arrive on time
Julie arrive en retard tous les jours.
Julie arrives late every day
Tu étais en retard ce matin!
You were late this morning!
La réunion a commencé en avance
The meeting started early
Je ne suis jamais à l'heure!
I am never on time!
Ne venez pas en avance, s'il-vous-plaît!
Don't come early, please!
Vous êtes vraiment en avance!
You are really early!
Stéphane est arrivé à l'heure à l'école
Stéphane arrived on time to school
Je suis désolé d'être en retard
I'm sorry I'm late
Q&A Forum 15 questions, 22 answers
MaryKwiziq community member
when do you use tôt rather than en advance?
Asked 5 days ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
tôt = early (in an absolute sense)
en avance = earlier than a certain time.
Le train arrive à 5 heures du matin. Il arrive tôt. -- The train arrives at 5 am. It arrives early.
Le train arrive avec 5 heures d'avance. -- The train arrives 5 hours early (than it was supposed to).
Mary asked:View original
when do you use tôt rather than en advance?
When do you use tôt and when en advance
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SamKwiziq community member
Passé composé vs Imparfait
Stéphane est arrivé à l'heure à l'école
vs
Tu étais en retard ce matin!
Hello!
Why use PC in the first sentence and then IMP in the second? Why were these tenses used?
Asked 1 month ago
That's a good question. It has to do with verbs of state (les verbes d'état) which usually go with the imparfait, since they describe a more timeless state of being rather than an action. Here is more on them on kwiziq: https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/questions/view/what-are-verbes-d-etat-s-il-vous-plait
A more complete list can be found on the internet if you use google.
Sam asked:View original
Passé composé vs Imparfait
Stéphane est arrivé à l'heure à l'école
vs
Tu étais en retard ce matin!
Hello!
Why use PC in the first sentence and then IMP in the second? Why were these tenses used?
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GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Why not "juste" au cas où?
The question:
Nous sommes partis _________ au cas où.
We left early just in case.
I answered: "en avance juste"
....and was marked incorrect for adding the "juste".
Could someone please explain why my answer was wrong?
Asked 3 months ago
Oops..... I realise that it was marked wrong because I left out "early" (en avance) not because I added "juste".
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Your answer isn't wrong, and you are free to add "juste". This possibility simply wasn't added to the possible correct answers.
G asked:View original
Why not "juste" au cas où?
The question:
Nous sommes partis _________ au cas où.
We left early just in case.
I answered: "en avance juste"
....and was marked incorrect for adding the "juste".
Could someone please explain why my answer was wrong?
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StephenKwiziq community member
Query on a grammatical issue
What is the exact difference between il est and c'est?
Asked 4 months ago
Hi Stephen,
This topic comes up frequently on the Q&A Forum.
If you take a look at the following Kwiziq lesson -
and the Q&A at the end of it you will see there is not a simple answer.
Hope this helps!
Stephen asked:View original
Query on a grammatical issue
What is the exact difference between il est and c'est?
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TammyKwiziq community member
B2 writing exercise
Why was it an error when I used “à l’heure” in the writing exercise “My kids’ back to school” B2?
It corrected me with “à temps” (for everything to be ready on time)
Thanks
Tammy
Asked 6 months ago
Here is an explanation of the difference between à temps and à l'heure:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/questions/view/are-a-temps-and-a-l-heure-not-interchangeable
Tammy asked:View original
B2 writing exercise
Why was it an error when I used “à l’heure” in the writing exercise “My kids’ back to school” B2?
It corrected me with “à temps” (for everything to be ready on time)
Thanks
Tammy
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GerryKwiziq community member
the lesson stipulates the use of être then the relevant expression but i don't see this in some examples. e.g. Ne venez pas en avance
or Nous voulons vraiment arriver. Can someone clarify this for me.
Asked 10 months ago
Hi Gerry,
To be early = Être en avance
To be late = Être en retard
To be on time = Être à l'heure
We have just changed the verbs and meanings-
Ne venez pas en avance! Don''t come early !
Nous voulons vraiment arriver à l'heure = We really want to arrive on time.
Hope this helps!
Gerry asked:View original
the lesson stipulates the use of être then the relevant expression but i don't see this in some examples. e.g. Ne venez pas en avance
or Nous voulons vraiment arriver. Can someone clarify this for me.
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OkezieKwiziq community member
en avance means 'In advance' according to google translate. Am I missing someting?
Asked 11 months ago
Hi Okezie,
It depends on the context ...
This question was about how to say- late, early, on time. In this context you cannot say in advance.
En avance can actually mean: early, ahead of time, and in advance
For instance,
Nous prenons les paiements en avance = We take payments in advance
Les réservations doivent être faites en avance = Bookings have to be made in advance
Hope this helps!
Okezie asked:View original
en avance means 'In advance' according to google translate. Am I missing someting?
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BrendaKwiziq community member
Whjat is wrong with saying "de bonne heure" for 'early'?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Brenda,
There's nothing wrong about the expression 'de bonne heure' for early but it is used slightly differently.
The lesson refers to a specific time and you can be 'en avance', à l'heure , ou 'en retard'. So the train expected at 13 42 will be any of these.
You would use 'de bonne heure' when you mean 'tôt' and the sense of earliness is less precise in my opinion.
Nous sommes partis de bonne heure ce matin pour éviter la circulation. (We left early this morning to avoid the traffic.)
Essaie de rentrer de bonne heure ce soir! (Try to come home early tonight !)
Hope this helps!
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SherryKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Are "à temps" and "à l'heure" not interchangeable?
Bonjour.
I used the first one in a quiz to fill in the blank, and it was marked wrong: "Étais-tu ________ (à temps) pour ton rendez-vous? Were you on time for your appointment?"
But à temps was used in another quiz: "Il court ________ (pour) arriver au travail à temps. He runs [in order] to get to work on time."
Asked 2 years ago
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Sherry - that's a great question. The distinction between "à temps" and "à l'heure" is very much like the nuance between "in time" vs "on time" in English. So, depending on the context, they can be interchangeable, but if you want to get across something happening in advance of some deadline or event then use "à temps" (in time), whereas if you want to talk about something happening punctually with respect to a specific time then use "à l'heure" (on time). The wording in English is never going to be so clear cut, but it helps convey the nuances in the two meanings.
Hope that helps!
Sherry asked:View original
Are "à temps" and "à l'heure" not interchangeable?
Bonjour.
I used the first one in a quiz to fill in the blank, and it was marked wrong: "Étais-tu ________ (à temps) pour ton rendez-vous? Were you on time for your appointment?"
But à temps was used in another quiz: "Il court ________ (pour) arriver au travail à temps. He runs [in order] to get to work on time."
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JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
My brother arrived late this morning, tard or en retard?
If the brother arrives late in the morning as apposed to being late is it still en retard or can it be tard?
Asked 2 years ago
JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Noticed Nimn's question afer posting but still am not sure why it cannot be Mon frère est arrivé tard (as opposed to en retard) ce matin. He's not late for the appointment just late in the morning? Can tard not be seen as an adjective?
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Jennifer !
Yes I agree that in the absence of context, both tard and en retard could work in this sentence.
However, seen as we're testing specifically en retard here, I've therefore removed and updated this question to give it a clear context :)
Thank you very much for pointing this out !
Merci et à bientôt !
Yes I agree that in the absence of context, both tard and en retard could work in this sentence.
However, seen as we're testing specifically en retard here, I've therefore removed and updated this question to give it a clear context :)
Thank you very much for pointing this out !
Merci et à bientôt !
Jennifer asked:View original
My brother arrived late this morning, tard or en retard?
If the brother arrives late in the morning as apposed to being late is it still en retard or can it be tard?
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NimKwiziq community member
tard et retard
hello,
what's the difference between etre en tard, and etre en retard
Asked 2 years ago
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Nim - "etre en tard" doesn't exist.
'Tard' expresses the quality of lateness usually with with respect to time of the day or some other event, whereas the 'retard' means late in the sense of being behind a schedule, delayed or dropping behind.
Compare these French expressions with 'tard' with these French expressions with 'retard'.
Notice that 'tard' is an adjective, whereas the expression 'en retard' functions as adverb ('retard' on its own is a noun).
Hope that helps!
'Tard' expresses the quality of lateness usually with with respect to time of the day or some other event, whereas the 'retard' means late in the sense of being behind a schedule, delayed or dropping behind.
Compare these French expressions with 'tard' with these French expressions with 'retard'.
Notice that 'tard' is an adjective, whereas the expression 'en retard' functions as adverb ('retard' on its own is a noun).
Hope that helps!
Nim asked:View original
tard et retard
hello,
what's the difference between etre en tard, and etre en retard
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AdvikaKwiziq community member
Why is en used before retard and avance
Thank you very much
Asked 2 years ago
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Advika - there's no logic to which prepositions are used in most cases I'm afraid. You just have to learn them by heart. Best wishes, Gruff
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Does this include the use of "de" in the example Je suis d'être en retard"? I was wondering why there needs to be the "de" before the verb être. Thank you.
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Robin, I think you missed reading the word désolé in the example with 'de':
"Je suis désolé d'être en retard"
An alternative translation in English might be "I'm sorry about being late" where 'about' is playing a similar role to 'de' (but notice in French the infinitive, être, follows, whereas in English we follow with the present participle in this example).
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WilliamKwiziq community member
Can "de bonne heure" be used to express "early".
For a question the correct answer was "en advance". Tu es en avance aujourd'hui. Could one say Tu es de bonne heure aujourd'hui.
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour William !
That's an interesting question: there is a nuance between these two expressions "de bonne heure" and "en avance".
"De bonne heure" means "early" in the sense of "at an early time of day",
whereas "en avance" means "early" as in "in relation to a specific given time".
Therefore, you use "de bonne heure" with verbs like "arriver", "partir", "se coucher", "se lever"...
but it sounds a bit weird with "être" as "to be early" implies the second case (i.e. given time).
However, it would work with "être là de bonne heure" (to be *there* early) as here both meanings are possible without a clear context.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
William asked:View original
Can "de bonne heure" be used to express "early".
For a question the correct answer was "en advance". Tu es en avance aujourd'hui. Could one say Tu es de bonne heure aujourd'hui.
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AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Clarissa !
The word "tôt" means "early" as opposed to "tard" (late) in French, to indicate a time in the day, i.e. "early in the morning".
e.g. "Je me suis levé tôt." (I got up early.)
"Oh là là, il est tôt !" (Oh, it's early!)
"Tu es arrivé plus tôt que prévu." (You arrived earlier than expected.)
"En avance" and "en retard" indicate a relationship between those moments and a given time: you're early or late compared to that given time.
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
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