Is it acceptable to be five minutes late?
Neutral Depends on context
What it really means
Depends on the occasion. For lectures, job interviews, medical appointments and train times: no — be early. For meeting a friend at a café: five minutes with a quick "running 5 mins late, sorry!" text is normal. For dinner at someone's house: five to fifteen minutes late is actually polite. The text message is what makes lateness forgivable.
Chinese explanation
看场合。上课、面试、就医、赶火车：不行——要提前到。和朋友约咖啡馆：晚五分钟并发条"晚到5分钟，抱歉！"的消息很正常。去别人家吃饭：晚到5到15分钟反而是礼貌。让迟到变得可以原谅的，是那条提前发的消息。
Example conversation
A: Is it acceptable to be five minutes late to meet friends?
B: Yeah, as long as you text ahead. For an interview though? Not even one minute.
A：和朋友见面迟到五分钟可以接受吗？
B：可以，只要提前发消息说一声。但要是面试？一分钟都不行。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
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· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake