Compare duration with time needed
Import the 24 examples and notice what the time phrase measures: the event itself or the effort before an action is complete.
tardar vs durar in Spanish
What is the difference between tardar and durar?
Durar describes the length of an event, state, or useful life. It commonly answers ¿Cuánto dura…? or ¿Cuánto tiempo duró…?: La película dura dos horas; La batería duró todo el día.
Tardar describes the time needed before someone or something completes an action, or a delay before it happens. It often answers ¿Cuánto tardas en…?: Tardo diez minutos en llegar; Marta tardó una hora en terminar.
A quick test: if the time belongs to the event’s duration, use durar. If it is the amount of time needed to do something, use tardar. English “take” can translate either verb, so look at the Spanish sentence pattern.
Choose the verb by what the clock measures
DURAR + length of time: La reunión duró cuarenta minutos. The meeting itself continued for forty minutes.
TARDAR + length of time + en + infinitive: Tardamos dos días en encontrarlo. The two days are the time needed to find it.
Ask with ¿Cuánto dura…? for an event’s length, and ¿Cuánto tardas en…? for someone’s time to do something.
A subject may be a person, vehicle, or process with tardar: El tren tardó una hora en llegar. The focus remains the time before arrival.
For the length of an event, durar normally takes a direct duration phrase: El curso dura seis semanas. Do not add en + infinitive unless you mean the time needed for an action.
24 examples of tardar and durar
Read the phrase after the verb. It shows whether the time measures an event or the time needed to act.
| Spanish sentence | Meaning | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| La película dura dos horas. | The film lasts two hours. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| La reunión duró cuarenta minutos. | The meeting lasted forty minutes. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| ¿Cuánto dura el concierto? | How long does the concert last? | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| La batería dura todo el día. | The battery lasts all day. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| El vuelo duró nueve horas. | The flight lasted nine hours. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| La oferta dura hasta el viernes. | The offer lasts until Friday. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
| Tardo diez minutos en llegar. | It takes me ten minutes to get there. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| ¿Cuánto tardas en preparar la cena? | How long do you take to make dinner? | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| Marta tardó una hora en terminar. | Marta took an hour to finish. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| Tardamos dos días en encontrarlo. | It took us two days to find it. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| ¿Cuánto tardó el tren en llegar? | How long did the train take to arrive? | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| El paquete tardará tres días en llegar. | The package will take three days to arrive. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| Tardé poco en acostumbrarme. | It did not take me long to get used to it. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| A veces tarda en contestar. | Sometimes he takes a while to reply. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| ¿Cuánto tardáis en volver? | How long do you all take to come back? | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| El médico tardó en llamarme. | The doctor took a while to call me. | Tardar gives the time needed before the action is done, often with en + infinitive. |
| La clase dura una hora; tardo media hora en llegar. | The class lasts an hour; it takes me half an hour to get there. | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| El viaje duró tres días, pero tardamos cinco días en volver. | The trip lasted three days, but it took us five days to get back. | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| ¿Cuánto dura la entrevista y cuánto tardas en llegar? | How long does the interview last, and how long does it take you to get there? | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| El curso dura seis semanas; Ana tardó un mes en inscribirse. | The course lasts six weeks; Ana took a month to sign up. | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| La llamada duró poco, pero tardé en entender el mensaje. | The call was short, but it took me a while to understand the message. | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| ¿Cuánto dura la batería? ¿Cuánto tarda en cargarse? | How long does the battery last? How long does it take to charge? | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| La pausa durará quince minutos; no tardaremos en volver. | The break will last fifteen minutes; we will be back soon. | Compare what lasts with the time needed to complete or reach something. |
| La garantía dura dos años. | The warranty lasts two years. | Durar gives the length of the event or condition itself. |
Group the examples by the question they answer
These examples separate an event’s duration from the time needed to do something, then compare both in context.
How long something lasts
Use durar for an event, condition, or useful life.
La película dura dos horas. · La reunión duró cuarenta minutos. · ¿Cuánto dura el concierto? · La batería dura todo el día. · El vuelo duró nueve horas. · La oferta dura hasta el viernes. · La garantía dura dos años.
How long an action takes
Use tardar for the time needed to act or finish.
Tardo diez minutos en llegar. · ¿Cuánto tardas en preparar la cena? · Marta tardó una hora en terminar. · Tardamos dos días en encontrarlo. · ¿Cuánto tardó el tren en llegar? · El paquete tardará tres días en llegar. · Tardé poco en acostumbrarme. · A veces tarda en contestar. · ¿Cuánto tardáis en volver? · El médico tardó en llamarme.
Compare both measurements
One sentence can describe an event and the time needed to reach it.
La clase dura una hora; tardo media hora en llegar. · El viaje duró tres días, pero tardamos cinco días en volver. · ¿Cuánto dura la entrevista y cuánto tardas en llegar? · El curso dura seis semanas; Ana tardó un mes en inscribirse. · La llamada duró poco, pero tardé en entender el mensaje. · ¿Cuánto dura la batería? ¿Cuánto tarda en cargarse? · La pausa durará quince minutos; no tardaremos en volver.
A closer look at the two patterns
Tardar often appears with a person as its subject: Tardo diez minutos; Marta tardó una hora. To name the action, use en + infinitive: Tardó una hora en terminar.
Durar focuses on the thing or event that continues: La película dura dos horas; La reunión duró cuarenta minutos. Its subject agrees with the verb: El curso dura; Las vacaciones duran.
Tardar can also describe a delay without stating the duration: El médico tardó en llamarme (“the doctor took a while to call”). With a length of time, tardar says how long before the action: El paquete tardará tres días en llegar.
Hola Cards is a Spanish flashcard app for iOS and Android. Import these fixed examples into a custom group to practise Spanish audio, writing, pronunciation, and spaced review. The app does not infer the intended timing meaning; use the sentence pattern and this guide.
Continue with Spanish time expressions, verbs, and full-sentence practice.
Spanish numbers, dates, and time words Spanish adverbs of frequency Present tense endings Spanish flashcards with sentences
A five-minute practice routine
- Describe how long a film or class lasts with durar.
- Say how long it takes you to get somewhere with tardar + en + infinitive.
- Ask one ¿Cuánto dura…? question and one ¿Cuánto tardas en…? question.
- Make a pair like “the class lasts an hour; it takes me half an hour to arrive.”
- Read the two battery examples and explain the difference between lasting and charging.
Language references
The definitions and example patterns were checked against these Spanish-language references.
- RAE–ASALE Dictionary: tardar
- RAE–ASALE Dictionary: durar
- Instituto Cervantes: Spanish grammar resources
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tardar and durar?
Durar tells how long an event, state, or useful life lasts. Tardar tells how much time is needed before an action is done or how long someone takes.
How do you say “it takes me ten minutes” in Spanish?
Say Tardo diez minutos. To name the action, add en + infinitive: Tardo diez minutos en llegar.
How do you ask how long a film lasts?
Ask ¿Cuánto dura la película? Use durar for the length of the event itself.
Does tardar always need en?
No. You can say Tardé una hora when the action is understood. Add en + infinitive to name it: Tardé una hora en terminar.
Can “take” translate both verbs?
Yes. “The film takes two hours” can use durar, while “it takes me two hours to finish” uses tardar. The Spanish pattern decides.
How do I say something is delayed?
Use tardar: El tren tarda en llegar means the train is taking a while to arrive. Add a time phrase to say how long it takes.
Copy the 24 examples into Hola Cards
Paste this Spanish-English set into a custom group and practise the complete time expressions.
**Tardar vs durar: 24 Spanish examples**
La película dura dos horas. - The film lasts two hours.
La reunión duró cuarenta minutos. - The meeting lasted forty minutes.
¿Cuánto dura el concierto? - How long does the concert last?
La batería dura todo el día. - The battery lasts all day.
El vuelo duró nueve horas. - The flight lasted nine hours.
La oferta dura hasta el viernes. - The offer lasts until Friday.
Tardo diez minutos en llegar. - It takes me ten minutes to get there.
¿Cuánto tardas en preparar la cena? - How long do you take to make dinner?
Marta tardó una hora en terminar. - Marta took an hour to finish.
Tardamos dos días en encontrarlo. - It took us two days to find it.
¿Cuánto tardó el tren en llegar? - How long did the train take to arrive?
El paquete tardará tres días en llegar. - The package will take three days to arrive.
Tardé poco en acostumbrarme. - It did not take me long to get used to it.
A veces tarda en contestar. - Sometimes he takes a while to reply.
¿Cuánto tardáis en volver? - How long do you all take to come back?
El médico tardó en llamarme. - The doctor took a while to call me.
La clase dura una hora; tardo media hora en llegar. - The class lasts an hour; it takes me half an hour to get there.
El viaje duró tres días, pero tardamos cinco días en volver. - The trip lasted three days, but it took us five days to get back.
¿Cuánto dura la entrevista y cuánto tardas en llegar? - How long does the interview last, and how long does it take you to get there?
El curso dura seis semanas; Ana tardó un mes en inscribirse. - The course lasts six weeks; Ana took a month to sign up.
La llamada duró poco, pero tardé en entender el mensaje. - The call was short, but it took me a while to understand the message.
¿Cuánto dura la batería? ¿Cuánto tarda en cargarse? - How long does the battery last? How long does it take to charge?
La pausa durará quince minutos; no tardaremos en volver. - The break will last fifteen minutes; we will be back soon.
La garantía dura dos años. - The warranty lasts two years.
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