French Phrase
Prévois du temps en plus en cas de retard.
Meaning
The sentence advises someone to schedule extra time as a precaution against possible delays. It’s a practical tip often given when planning travel, meetings, or any activity where punctuality matters.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re giving advice about planning, especially before a trip, a presentation, or a deadline. It works both in informal conversation with friends and in more formal contexts like a workplace briefing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Prévoisdutempsenplusencasderetard
Imperative (tu) of prévoir
‘Prévois’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb ‘prévoir’, used to give a direct command or suggestion.
Partitive article ‘du’
‘du’ = de + le; it introduces an indefinite amount of something uncountable, here ‘temps’.
Expression ‘en plus’
Literally ‘in addition’, it adds the idea of extra or additional time.
Prepositional phrase ‘en cas de’
Means ‘in case of’; it introduces a condition that may happen.
Noun ‘retard’
Means ‘delay’; used here as a noun after ‘en cas de’.
🗨In Conversation
Je pars à 8 h pour le train, mais je ne suis pas sûr de la circulation.
I’m leaving at 8 am for the train, but I’m not sure about traffic.
Prévois du temps en plus en cas de retard.
Plan for some extra time in case there’s a delay.
✕Common Mistakes
Prévoir du temps en plus en cas de retard.
In the imperative you must drop the ‘s’ of the infinitive and use ‘Prévois’ for ‘tu’. ‘Prévoir’ is the infinitive, not a command.
Prévois de temps en plus en cas de retard.
Do not use ‘de temps en plus’; the partitive ‘du’ is required before an uncountable noun.
Prévois du temps en plus en cas du retard.
The preposition ‘de’ contracts with ‘le’ to become ‘du’, but after ‘en cas’, the correct form is ‘de’, not ‘du’.
↔Alternatives
Prends un peu de marge au cas où il y aurait du retard.
Take a little buffer in case there’s a delay.
Ajoute du temps supplémentaire au cas d’un retard.
Add extra time in case of a delay.
Prévois une marge de sécurité si tu crains d’être en retard.
Plan a safety margin if you fear being late.
Cultural Tip
In French‑speaking cultures, punctuality is valued but traffic jams, train strikes, and bureaucratic delays are common. Mentioning a ‘marge de sécurité’ (safety margin) shows you’re realistic and considerate of others’ time. In formal business emails, you might phrase it more politely: ‘Je vous suggère de prévoir une marge de temps supplémentaire…’