How do I say it takes me X time to do something in Spanish?

Tardar + time expression + en + infinitive. Tardo una hora en llegar (It takes me an hour to arrive). Tardamos dos días en terminar (It took us two days to finish). The structure handles duration in any tense.

What does no tardes en + infinitive mean?

Don't take long to + verb / don't be slow to + verb. No tardes en llegar (Don't take long to arrive). No tarden en responder (Don't be slow to respond). Often used as gentle requests to be prompt.

What's the difference between tardar and llevar (in time contexts)?

Tardar + en + infinitive = it takes X time to do (focuses on duration). Llevar + time + gerund = have been doing for X time (focuses on ongoing action duration). Tardo una hora en llegar (it takes me an hour to get there). Llevo una hora esperando (I've been waiting for an hour).

Can tardar be used without a time expression?

Yes. Tarda mucho en decidirse (he takes a long time to decide), with mucho qualifying. Tardar + en + infinitive without a numeric duration emphasizes slowness or delay.

How can I learn tardar en naturally?

Duration and delay are constant in conversation. Parrot's short-form videos surface tardo media hora / no tardes en venir / tardó mucho in real contexts, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Tardar En + Infinitive: How to Say Take Time To in Spanish

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Periphrastic meaning to take (time) to do or to be late in doing. Conjugate tardar (regular -ar verb) + time expression + en + infinitive. The time expression goes between tardar and en.

Tardo una hora en llegar al trabajo.

It takes me an hour to get to work.

What it is

Tardar en + infinitive is the standard way to express how long something takes to do, or that someone is late in doing something. Structure: conjugate tardar + (optional time expression) + en + infinitive. The construction works for both literal duration and delay / lateness.

In Tardo una hora en llegar al trabajo (It takes me an hour to get to work), tardo is the present yo form of tardar, una hora is the time expression, en is the connector, and llegar is the infinitive.

How to spot it

Look for tardar + (time) + en + infinitive. The en is mandatory. Without a time expression, tardar en + infinitive means to be slow / late in doing (¿Por qué tardas en contestar? = Why are you slow to answer?).

Tardo 20 minutos en llegar. — It takes me 20 minutes to arrive.
Tardó mucho en responder. — He was slow to respond.
No tardes en venir. — Don't take long to come.

Tardar can take an explicit time (tardo una hora) or be qualified with mucho / poco (tardó mucho = it took long) without a numeric duration.

Tardar en + Infinitive Quick Reference

Tardar en across tenses

Tense	yo form	Meaning
Present	tardo + tiempo + en + inf.	It takes me X to...
Preterite	tardé + tiempo + en + inf.	It took me X to...
Imperfect	tardaba + tiempo + en + inf.	It used to take me X to...
Future	tardaré + tiempo + en + inf.	It will take me X to...
Negative	no tardes en + inf.	Don't take long to...
Without time	tardar en + inf.	to be late / slow to...

Common Tardar en + Infinitive Examples in Spanish

Tardar en covers literal time to complete an action and figurative slowness or delay.

Literal Duration

Tardo media hora en cocinar la cena.: It takes me half an hour to cook dinner.
Tardamos dos días en llegar.: It took us two days to arrive.
Tardarán años en terminar el proyecto.: They'll take years to finish the project.
¿Cuánto tardas en escribir un correo?: How long does it take you to write an email?
Tardé tres horas en hacer la tarea.: It took me three hours to do the homework.

When a specific duration is mentioned, tardar + time + en + infinitive expresses literal duration.

Being Slow / Late

¿Por qué tardas tanto en contestar?: Why are you so slow to answer?
Tarda mucho en decidirse.: He takes a long time to decide.
Tardamos en darnos cuenta.: We were slow to realize.
Tardó en reaccionar.: She was slow to react.
No tardo en arrepentirme.: I quickly regret it. (literally: I don't take long to regret)

Without explicit duration (qualified by mucho, tanto, etc.), tardar + en + infinitive means to be slow or delayed in doing something.

Commands and Requests

No tardes en llegar.: Don't take long to arrive.
No tarden en responder.: Don't be slow to respond.
Por favor, no tarden mucho en venir.: Please don't take too long to come.
Tarda lo que necesites en explicar.: Take as long as you need to explain.
Si tardas mucho, llegaremos tarde.: If you take long, we'll be late.

Imperative no tardes en + infinitive is common for asking someone not to be late or slow.

Negative Future (Quickly)

No tardaremos en saber el resultado.: We won't take long to know the result.
No tardarás en encontrarlo.: You won't take long to find it.
No tardó en arrepentirse.: She didn't take long to regret it.
No tardará en llover.: It won't take long to rain.
No tardé en darme cuenta.: I quickly realized.

No tardar + en + infinitive = quickly / soon do something. Common in future and recent past contexts to express imminent or fast events.

How Tardar En Works

Structure: Tardar + (Time) + En + Infinitive

Conjugate tardar (regular -ar verb) in any tense, optionally add a time expression (una hora, mucho, poco, X minutos), then en + infinitive. The time expression goes between tardar and en.

Tardo una hora en llegar. Tardé mucho en entender.

Tardar + time + en + infinitive.

Time expression between tardar and en.

With or Without Time Expression

With a specific time, tardar means takes X amount of time. Without (or with adverbs like mucho, poco), it means to be slow or delayed: tarda mucho en decidirse (he takes a long time to decide).

Tardo una hora (literal). Tardo mucho (slow).

Time vs. adverb of duration.

Specific time = literal; vague = slowness.

Tardar Is Regular

Tardar is a regular -ar verb with no stem changes or spelling rules: tardo, tardas, tarda, tardamos, tardáis, tardan; tardé, tardaste, tardó, etc. Easy to conjugate.

tardo, tardé, tardaba, tardaré, tarde.

All regular forms.

No conjugation surprises.

The Preposition Is En

Tardar takes en (not de or a) before the infinitive. The en marks the action being measured or delayed.

tardar EN llegar, EN responder, EN venir.

Always en between tardar and the infinitive.

Tardar + en + infinitive.

Common Mistakes with Tardar en + Infinitive

Incorrect: Tardo una hora llegar. — It takes me an hour to arrive. (wrong, missing en)

Correct: Tardo una hora en llegar. — It takes me an hour to arrive.

Tardar requires the preposition en before the infinitive. Without en, the sentence is incomplete.

Incorrect: Tardo de llegar. — I take time to arrive. (wrong, de instead of en)

Correct: Tardo en llegar. — I take time to arrive.

Tardar takes en, not de. Each periphrastic construction has its own required preposition: tardar = en, dejar = de, empezar = a.

Incorrect: No tardes a venir. — Don't take long to come. (wrong, a instead of en)

Correct: No tardes en venir. — Don't take long to come.

Same as above. Tardar always takes en before the infinitive, never a or de.

Tardar en + Infinitive FAQs

How do I say it takes me X time to do something in Spanish?: Tardar + time expression + en + infinitive. Tardo una hora en llegar (It takes me an hour to arrive). Tardamos dos días en terminar (It took us two days to finish). The structure handles duration in any tense.
What does no tardes en + infinitive mean?: Don't take long to + verb / don't be slow to + verb. No tardes en llegar (Don't take long to arrive). No tarden en responder (Don't be slow to respond). Often used as gentle requests to be prompt.
What's the difference between tardar and llevar (in time contexts)?: Tardar + en + infinitive = it takes X time to do (focuses on duration). Llevar + time + gerund = have been doing for X time (focuses on ongoing action duration). Tardo una hora en llegar (it takes me an hour to get there). Llevo una hora esperando (I've been waiting for an hour).
Can tardar be used without a time expression?: Yes. Tarda mucho en decidirse (he takes a long time to decide), with mucho qualifying. Tardar + en + infinitive without a numeric duration emphasizes slowness or delay.
How can I learn tardar en naturally?: Duration and delay are constant in conversation. Parrot's short-form videos surface tardo media hora / no tardes en venir / tardó mucho in real contexts, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.