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A person in a dark jacket checks a wristwatch.
A person in a dark jacket checks a wristwatch. Photo by JESHOOTS.com / Pexels. Image source
A1 · Beginner
NewGlobal · Culture & Everyday Life

Is Being Late Rude?

Created by dabai laoshi · 28 Aug 2026

Key Vocabulary

late

after the time on the clock

Your friend is late if they come twenty minutes after seven.

early

before the time on the clock

In some cities, people want to come early for work.

wait

to stay until a person is ready

You wait at the door for your friend.

clock

a thing that shows the time

The clock in your hand says seven.

schedule

a list of times for work or meetings

The clock is a schedule for the group.

Article

You are waiting for your friend at seven o'clock. But your friend comes at seven twenty. Is your friend being rude?

In some cities, time is a hard line. People want to come early for work. A meeting at nine means you come at 8:50. [1][2]

People in Japan who come at nine can look late. They want more time in the office first. [2]

A dinner in Germany is at eight o'clock. A guest is five minutes early and may walk around the block. [2]

In Latin America, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka, time is more open. A meeting can start two hours late. The friend can feel more important than the clock. [1][2]

Trains in Switzerland want to be on time. In one year, fast trains in Japan are late by 36 seconds. The clock is a schedule for the group. [3]

A late friend makes you wait. A person with a hard clock can feel cold. The rule is not the same in every city.

At some parties, late is fine. In Japan, late is rude at work. A worker often waits at the table. An owner can come late to the meeting.

Discussion Questions

  1. Are you often early, on time, or late where you live?
  2. How do you feel when a friend makes you wait?
  3. Is it rude to come late to dinner at your home?
  4. At a party where you live, is late fine or rude?
  5. What in the clock story is new for you?

References

  1. University of Florida IFAS, “Intercultural Competencies: Understanding Monochronic and Polychronic Cultures” (AEC836/WC498), on Hall’s clock-time versus relationship-time. Source
  2. BBC Learning English, “How late is too late?”, on Japan arriving with time to spare, German on-the-dot dinner guests, and more open time in Latin America, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka. Source
  3. BBC Travel, “The nation that hates to be late,” on Swiss punctuality and Japan’s Shinkansen averaging 36 seconds of delay a year. Source

Finished reading? Mark this lesson as done.

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