帰るのが遅かったね。

to return; to come home; to go home; to go back; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

slow; late (e.g. "late at night"); too late; dull; stupid

indicates emphasis, agreement, request for confirmation, etc.; is it so; hey; come on; listen; not