Der Ho Gayi: Admitting You Are Running Late

देर हो गयी (der ho gayi) means I am late, or it has become late, a phrase most learners will need sooner rather than later. It uses ho gayi, a common way in Hindi of describing something that has already happened. The phrase is often said with a small apologetic tone.

Sometimes paired with maaf kijiye, please forgive me, when arriving somewhere behind schedule. Hindi speakers generally accept a brief, honest der ho gayi without much fuss. For learners, der ho gayi is a practical, everyday phrase worth memorising alongside simple explanations, jaam mein thi, I was stuck in traffic.

Being able to explain lateness politely is a small but genuinely useful skill. A useful related phrase is jaldi karo, hurry up, often said in response to der ho gayi as a gentle prompt to move things along. Learning the two phrases together captures a small, common exchange that comes up constantly in busy, everyday family life.