"Long overdue" in Italian

Question

How does one say that something is long overdue in Italian?

For instance, is it correct to say something like "Fa molto tempo che sia in attesa"?

consider also the colloquial form "scaduto da un pezzo". – magma Mar 25 '14 at 12:50 — magma, Mar 25 '14 at 12:50

score 9 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 19 '14 at 19:09

In addition to what I.M. already put in his answer I wanted to add that a generic overdue time is often called "ritardo".

This is valid in many cases:

"The job was completed past its due time" = "il lavoro è stato finito in ritardo"

"She arrived late" = "(Lei) è arrivata in ritardo"

and many other cases generically referring to something that was expected earlier than when it eventually happened, including childbirth, menstruation, intellectual development of a child, traveling, somebody slow in understanding a joke, etc...

I.M. · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-21T12:17:02.203

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It depends on the context.

If it's past the deadline / expected date:

(Qualcosa) è (ben) oltre la scadenza prevista.

If it's something that has been promised long time ago:

È da (tanto) tempo che lo/la si aspetta.

If it's something that should have been done before something else or just long time ago:

(Qualcosa) avrebbe dovuto essere fatto prima / avrebbe dovuto essere fatto (tanto) tempo fa.

Essere in attesa, as you've suggested, has connotation of "being pregnant, being expecting a child." If that's the context, then one could simply say ritardo della nascita or la nascita si fa attendere.

edited Mar 21 '14 at 12:17

answered Mar 19 '14 at 14:34

I.M.

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I'd use "(qualcosa) è ben oltre la scadenza prevista". Otherwise it is just overdue :-) Same for the third example. – mau Mar 21 '14 at 10:40
Right. Thanks, @mau. I've edited the answer. :) – I.M. Mar 21 '14 at 12:18
Also a passive form for the second case: “A lungo atteso/a” – Agos Mar 24 '14 at 15:17

score 2 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 18 '20 at 08:30

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I think the closest translation to long overdue is scaduto da molto (tempo). Example:

La bolletta e` scaduta. ( the bill's long overdue )

Da domani i Buoni Postali saranno scaduti. ( the bonds will be expired, by tomorrow )

Questo cibo e` scaduto. ( this food is past its sell-by date )

edited Jun 18 '20 at 08:30

Community

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answered Mar 23 '14 at 23:15

Antonio Molinaro

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score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 22 '14 at 03:14

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"E' da un sacco di tempo che stiamo aspettando."

It can be written as:

"E' da un sacco che stiamo aspettando"

answered Mar 22 '14 at 03:14

user516

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mario · Answer 5 · 2014-03-31T15:53:02.160

I think you wish to keep the -due- component, where it has some duty related force. Indeed due is derived form latin debeo, debēre, debui, debitus which I understand can be translated by to owe, ought (you owe debt to the govt)

A almost literal translation is indeed possible

il riconoscimento a lungo dovuto finalmente è giunto
la risposta che ha lungo ti dovevo oggi ti invio

(la seconda suona forse un poco ricercata)

"Long overdue" in Italian

5 Answers5