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Italian Proverb
| Meaning | better late than never | |
| Register | normal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[meh lyoh tar dee kay mahy] |
| IPA | [mɛʎ ʎo tar di kɛ maj] | |
Usage notes: Meglio tardi che mai is one of the rare Italian proverbs that have an exact equivalent in English (and other languages).* In addition, the meaning is pretty straightforward: it’s better to arrive late or finish something late than it is to never arrive or never finish.
Per esempio…
Il progetto ha richiesto un mese in più del previsto, ma meglio tardi che mai!
The project took a month longer than expected, but better late than never!
Variations
- meglio poco che nulla
- meglio tardi che non mai
* In other languages
- French: Mieux vaut tard que jamais.
- Spanish: Más vale tarde que nunca.
- Greek: Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ.
Related lessons
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