"Late" means behind schedule or at an advanced hour; "lately" means recently or in recent times.
Adverb. After the expected or agreed time (late, behind schedule). Also: at an advanced hour of the day or night.
She arrived late to the meeting and missed the introduction.
Ella llego tarde a la reunion y se perdio la introduccion.
The train was running late due to signal problems.
El tren iba con retraso por problemas en las seniales.
We stayed up late talking about everything.
Nos quedamos hasta tarde hablando de todo.
Adverb. In the recent period of time, in recent days or weeks. Generally used with present perfect or present perfect continuous.
I have been very busy lately. Sorry for not calling.
He estado muy ocupado ultimamente. Disculpa por no llamar.
Have you seen any good movies lately?
¿Has visto alguna pelicula buena ultimamente?
She has not been feeling well lately.
Ella no se ha sentido bien ultimamente.
Common mistake
Classic error: confusing "lately" (recently) with "late" (behind schedule). "I have been arriving lately" — unnatural, because "lately" means "in recent times", not "behind schedule". Correct for arriving behind schedule: "I have been arriving late." "Lately" has nothing to do with punctuality; it means "in recent times".
Trick to remember it
Same trap as hard/hardly: adding -ly completely changes the meaning. "Late" = behind schedule. "Lately" = recently (recent time frame). They are false friends of each other. "Lately" always pairs with perfect or continuous tenses: "have been doing... lately".
Quick rule
Late = behind schedule / at an advanced hour. Lately = recently / in recent times.
Did you know?
"Of late" is a formal, literary synonym of "lately": "Of late, she has seemed troubled." Not used in daily conversation. And "the late" before a name means "the deceased": "the late President Kennedy." English has many different uses of "late" that Spanish expresses with completely different words.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Have you been to any new restaurants _____? I am looking for recommendations.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Sorry I am _____. The traffic on the highway was terrible today.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Late = behind schedule / at an advanced hour. Lately = recently / in recent times.
Classic error: confusing "lately" (recently) with "late" (behind schedule). "I have been arriving lately" — unnatural, because "lately" means "in recent times", not "behind schedule". Correct for arriving behind schedule: "I have been arriving late." "Lately" has nothing to do with punctuality; it means "in recent times".
Same trap as hard/hardly: adding -ly completely changes the meaning. "Late" = behind schedule. "Lately" = recently (recent time frame). They are false friends of each other. "Lately" always pairs with perfect or continuous tenses: "have been doing... lately".
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy