"你太晚了！"

Translation: You are too late!

[Alex119913]

A wizard is never late...

[awunker]

I understand that 太～了 is a general construction form, but how would you say "You were too late?"

[Dave168907]

I believe you would say it the same way. The context of the situation would make the meaning clear.

[peterold]

你太晚: You are too late. 你太晚了: You are very late.

[Mokuhazush]

If you're late, you're surely too late too! Both answers should be ok.

[marchionesselle]

5 minutes late to a movie is acceptable, since it's just the exposition. That just late.

2 hours late to a movie is just pointless, since the movie's probably finished by now. That's too late.

[JamesBacon7]

nah you could be late, but not miss youre opportunity. if youre too late then not only are you late but the thing you came for has now passed. having to rather than too should count as a typo tho >:(

[FiendComedian]

I think too late implies you missed out. I was late to the meeting vs. I was too late to buy tickets.

[Dave168907]

Did anyone notice that the word 晚 was pronounced "van"? It seems that "w" and "v" are allophones of the same phoneme.

[Hsn626796]

As in Iranian and German.. ?.. hmm

[LightKnigh4]

I hear a clear "w". Maybe there's a confusion in your own (mother) language or sth.

[NathanRasm]

If you heard that in the male voice, it could just be his sporadic southern accent. The /v/ here, like most of his nonstandard pronunciations, is consistent with Hakka (where 晚 is pronounced ván).

[Hsn626796]

Where's the 很 ?

[Bill496592]

We dont really need 很 for 太。太 already functions as 很 in this sentence