German Phrase
Komm nicht zu spät.
Meaning
A friendly, informal warning telling someone not to arrive after the expected time. It carries a tone of care rather than strict command.
When to use
Use it with friends, family, or colleagues you address with ‘du’. It’s perfect for casual plans, meet‑ups, or when you want to stress the importance of punctuality without sounding overly formal.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Kommnichtzuspät
Imperative (du) of kommen
For the informal singular you drop the infinitive ending -en and add no ending: kommen → komm.
Negation with nicht
In a simple imperative sentence the negation word ‘nicht’ follows the verb.
zu + adjective/adverb
‘zu’ is used before adjectives or adverbs to express ‘too …’, e.g., zu spät = too late.
🗨In Conversation
Komm nicht zu spät.
Don’t come too late.
Keine Sorge, ich bin pünktlich.
Don’t worry, I’ll be on time.
✕Common Mistakes
Komm zu nicht spät.
‘zu’ must come before the adjective/adverb, not before ‘nicht’. The correct order is ‘nicht zu …’.
Kommt nicht zu spät.
‘Kommt’ is the 3rd‑person singular form; for a direct command to ‘du’ you need the singular imperative ‘Komm’.
Kommen Sie nicht zu spät.
When using the formal ‘Sie’, the verb must be conjugated: ‘Kommen Sie nicht zu spät.’
↔Alternatives
Sei nicht zu spät.
Don’t be too late.
Komm bitte pünktlich.
Please come on time.
Verpasse nicht den Anfang.
Don’t miss the beginning.
Cultural Tip
Punctuality is a core value in German culture; arriving even a few minutes late can be seen as disrespectful. In formal situations you would say ‘Kommen Sie nicht zu spät.’ or simply ‘Bitte seien Sie pünktlich.’ Using ‘pünktlich’ (on time) is often preferred over ‘nicht zu spät’ in business contexts.