A message to say you're late

A young woman texts on her phone

Learn how to write text messages to tell a friend you're going to be late.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Aziz

online

I'm running 10 mins late, sorry!

15:57

No problem!

15:58

Aargh! Traffic is really bad. I'll be more than 10 mins late now, sorry again!!

16:07

It's OK, don't worry. I'm in the café already so it's fine

16:08

This is not my day! I'm here but can't find a place to park. I'm looking for a different car park. Not sure how long I'll be

16:09

OK, LMK when you find a place

16:11

I might get something to eat tho

16:11

Of course! I'll be as quick as I can

16:13

OK!

16:13

Found one! Be there in 10 mins

16:16

Well done! See you soon

16:16

Thx for waiting

16:17

Tips

1. You don't need to write complete sentences for text messages.

2. Use abbreviations like LMK (= let me know) or use emojis to save time writing.

3. You don't need to use full stops (.) at the end of messages.

4. Say how many minutes you think you'll need, e.g. I'm running 10 minutes late.

5. It’s good to say sorry and sorry again, but you don't need to say sorry in every message.

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Discussion

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Worksheet96.32 KB

Language level

Average: 4.2 (108 votes)

Submitted by nihad on Fri, 18/07/2025 - 21:58

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Absolutely being late for appointments is considered a disrespectful behavior. It indicates that time is not valuable for some people who think that there is nothing wrong if others wait even for a long time. In fact, such people gradually lose respect and honesty because of their carelessness for time.

 

Would anyone tell me if my writing is good or not? How much score would I get for the above paragraph?

Submitted by pujaT on Wed, 16/07/2025 - 15:07

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I like being punctual, and I appreciate punctual people. I really don’t like being late for appointments, meetings, or visits whatever the occasion. I also don’t like it when others are late. Since I started living in Germany, I’ve come to understand how important it is to be on time.

 

For me, being more than 15 minutes late is already considered “very” late, if someone knows they’ll be late to a meeting or appointment, they should at least send a message or email. And if they are more than 15 minutes late, they should definitely call the person they are meeting.

 

Being punctual shows respect for other people’s valuable time.

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Submitted by Elvis HAKIZIMANA on Wed, 16/07/2025 - 10:47

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No, I'm not usually late especially on the work, as I want to take my job responsibilities as serious as possible. However, for the other appointments such as ceremonies, meetings, ;.... I'm less rigorous because everyone is often late, even the organizers. In that case it seems that those who were punctual have been punished.

 

For me, being late more than 5 minutes is unacceptable. This is the case for work and religious programs. It will appear to the other persons as if you are not aware of your commitments.

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Submitted by baris5561551 on Tue, 08/07/2025 - 15:57

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Commonly I'm late unfortunately due to some occupations regarding my personal works,hobbies... I think lateness is a big problem,especially in a group workplace, and shouldn't be repeated even for 5-10 minutes.

Submitted by Koama on Tue, 01/07/2025 - 16:23

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To be honest, I am always late, but that's not my fault. I am doing better now

Submitted by DK's on Sun, 29/06/2025 - 19:16

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I can say that I am a punctual person. I always measure how much time I need for preparing myself so I can estimate the time when I will go out. Since I am a punctual person, I really hate people that always come late even we already have a exact time when we will meet. I cannot tolerate more than 15 minutes for waiting someone.

Submitted by MariamArama44 on Tue, 24/06/2025 - 13:02

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I'm usually no time . but sometimes I'm late abot 5 or 10 mins .

Submitted by frd0096 on Tue, 24/06/2025 - 06:31

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To be honest, I am usually late for some casual activities like parties or personal meetings. But I am definitely on time for serious activities like official meetings. For me, you should not be late for more than 30 minutes for casual activities and you should be strictly on time for serious activities.

Submitted by hhh9122 on Mon, 16/06/2025 - 07:46

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I always prefer to be on time.Personally,To be punctual is an essential trait for me.I always prepare in advance not to be late and arrive or finish everything on time.I also hard to find acceptable  the others being late except some situations.

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