Sorry in Spanish | 10 Phrases & Examples
There are various ways to say sorry in Spanish, including:
- Lo siento
- Perdón
- Perdóname
- Disculpa
- Discúlpame
- Con permiso
- Lamento
- Siento
- Pido disculpas
- Debo una disculpa
“Lo siento” and “Perdón” are the most common ways to say sorry in Spanish, and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you achieve the right tone, even when writing in Spanish.
Lo siento
Lo siento (pronounced loh-see-ehn-toh) literally translates to “I feel it,” but it’s one of the most common ways to say sorry in Spanish. You can use it in formal and informal contexts to express apology, sympathy, or regret.
Lo siento por lo de ayer. [I’m sorry about yesterday.]
No puedo ir a tu fiesta, lo siento. [I can’t go to your party, sorry.]
Perdón
Perdón (pronounced pehr-dohn) translates as “pardon” and can be formal or informal. Perdón can mean “sorry” to express regret or apology. It can also mean “excuse me” in contexts where you want to get someone’s attention or ask someone to move.
¡Perdón, necesito pasar! [Excuse me, I need to pass!]
Perdón, ¿puedo hacerte una pregunta? [Excuse me, can I ask you a question?]
Variants of perdón are the imperative perdona (pehr-dohn-ah), which is informal, or perdone (pehr-dohn-eh), which is formal.
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| ¡Perdona, necesito pasar!
[Excuse me, I need to pass!] |
¡Perdone, necesito pasar!
[Excuse me, I need to pass!] |
| Perdona por no llamarte antes.
[Sorry for not calling you earlier.] |
Perdone por no llamarle antes.
[Sorry for not calling you earlier.] |
| Perdona, ¿puedo haceros una pregunta?
[Excuse me, can I ask you a question?] |
Perdone, ¿puedo hacerles una pregunta?
[Excuse me, could I ask you a question?] |
- You singular, informal: te
- You singular, formal: le
- You plural, informal: os
- You plural, formal: les
While os is common in Spain, Latin America does not use this form. Latin American speakers use les as the plural form of “you” in both formal and informal contexts.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you’re using these pronouns correctly in Spanish.
Perdóname
Perdóname (pronounced pehr-dohn-ah-may) translates as “forgive me” and is used in more personal apologies. Perdóneme (pronounced pehr-dohn-eh-may) is the formal version.
While saying “forgive me” can sound a bit dramatic in English, it doesn’t have the same intensity in Spanish.
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| Perdóname por no haberte llamado.
[Forgive me for not calling you.] |
Perdóneme por no haberle llamado.
[Forgive me for not calling you.] |
| ¡Perdóname! No quise ofenderte.
[Forgive me! I didn’t mean to offend you.] |
¡Perdóneme! No quise ofenderle.
[Forgive me! I didn’t mean to offend you.] |
Disculpa
Disculpa (pronounced dee-skool-pah) also means sorry in Spanish, although its direct translation is “an excuse or an apology.” Disculpa is informal, and disculpe (dee-skool-peh) is formal.
Disculpa/disculpe work the same way as “perdón” to express regret, apologize, get someone’s attention, or ask someone to move. However, these words are considered slightly more formal than “perdón.”
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| Disculpa, no quería interrumpir.
[Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.] |
Disculpe, no quería interrumpir.
[Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.] |
| Disculpa, ¿puedes ayudarme con esto?
[Excuse me, can you help me with this?] |
Disculpe, ¿puede ayudarme con esto?
[Excuse me, could you help me with this?] |
| Disculpa por no haber asistido a la reunión.
[Sorry I couldn’t attend the meeting.] |
Disculpe por no haber asistido a la reunión.
[Sorry I couldn’t attend the meeting.] |
Discúlpame
Discúlpame (pronounced dee-skool-pah-may), which is informal, and discúlpeme (dee-skool-peh-may), which is formal, are other options to express regret, apologize, or ask for forgiveness.
These words come from the verb disculpar, which means “to excuse, forgive, or remove blame from.” They work similarly to perdóname and perdóneme.
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| Discúlpame por olvidar tu cumpleaños.
[Forgive me for forgetting your birthday.] |
Discúlpeme por olvidar su cumpleaños.
[Forgive me for forgetting your birthday.] |
| Discúlpame por mi mal humor.
[Excuse me for my bad mood.] |
Discúlpeme por mi mal humor.
[Excuse me for my bad mood.] |
Con permiso
Con permiso (pronounced cohn-pehr-mee-soh) translates literally as “with permission” but means “excuse me.” It’s a polite way to ask to get past someone or to interrupt someone.
Con permiso, ¿puedo compartir mis ideas? [Excuse me, may I share my ideas?]
Lamento
Lamento (pronounced lah-mehn-toh) translates as “I lament.” You can use it to say “sorry” in formal contexts when you want to imply sorrow, sympathy, or regret.
Lamento informarle que su solicitud ha sido denegada. [I regret to inform you that your application has been denied.]
Lamento comunicar que ha fallecido el rey. [I regret to inform you that the king has passed away.]
Siento
Siento (pronounced see-ehn-toh) literally translates as “I feel.” It’s another way to say sorry in Spanish and expresses apology, regret, or sympathy. It’s similar to lamento but is less formal and more commonly used in everyday conversation.
Siento si te ofendí con mis palabras. [I’m sorry if I offended you with my words.]
Siento mucho haber olvidado tu cumpleaños. [I’m really sorry I forgot your birthday.]
Pido disculpas
Pido disculpas (pronounced pee-doh-dee-skool-pahs) literally means “I ask for forgiveness.” It’s a more personal way to apologize.
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| Te pido disculpas por el malentendido.
[I apologize for the misunderstanding.] |
Le pido disculpas por el malentendido.
[I apologize for the misunderstanding.] |
| Te pido disculpas por no haber respondido antes.
[I apologize for not replying sooner.] |
Le pido disculpas por no haber respondido antes.
[I apologize for not replying sooner.] |
Debo una disculpa
Debo una disculpa (pronounced deh-boh-oo-nah-dee-skool-pah) means “I owe an apology.” It’s a more heartfelt way to acknowledge a mistake and show that you want to make up for it.
| Informal example | Formal example |
|---|---|
| Te debo una disculpa por lo que dije ayer.
[I owe you an apology for what I said yesterday.] |
Le debo una disculpa por lo que dije ayer.
[I owe you an apology for what I said yesterday.] |
| Me equivoqué, te debo una disculpa.
[I was wrong, I owe you an apology.] |
Me equivoqué, le debo una disculpa.
[I was wrong, I owe you an apology.] |
Frequently asked questions about sorry in Spanish
- How do you say sorry for your loss in Spanish?
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You say “sorry for your loss” in Spanish differently depending on if you are communicating in a formal or informal context.
Formal ways to “say sorry for your loss” in Spanish are:
- Siento su pérdida.
- Lo siento por su pérdida.
- Lamento su pérdida.
- Mis condolencias.
Informal ways to say “sorry for your loss” in Spanish are:
- Siento tu pérdida.
- Lo siento por tu pérdida.
- Lo siento.
“Lo siento” simply means sorry in Spanish but is appropriate if you want to say “sorry for your loss” to close family or friends.
QuillBot’s free Translator can help you communicate your ideas in Spanish.
- What does lo siento mean?
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“Lo siento” means sorry in Spanish.
You can use it to apologize, express sympathy, or show regret.
Lo siento in a sentence examples Lo siento por llegar tarde. [I’m sorry for being late.]Lo siento por tu pérdida. [I’m sorry for your loss.]
Lo siento, no puedo ayudarte. [I’m sorry, I can’t help you.]
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you’re writing correctly, even in Spanish.
- How do you say it’s okay in Spanish?
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To say “it’s okay” in Spanish, you would say “está bien.”
But there are some other ways to express “it’s okay” in Spanish:
- No pasa nada [Nothing happens]
- No hay problema [There’s no problem]
- Tranquilo/a [Be calm]
- Todo bien [All good]
- No te preocupes/No se preocupe [Don’t worry]
These options don’t translate literally to “it’s okay,” but they convey the same meaning.
These phrases are common replies to when someone says “lo siento” (sorry in Spanish).
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences to express your intended meaning in Spanish.
- How do you say I’m sorry in Spanish slang?
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To say “I’m sorry” in Spanish slang, you could say “lo siento tío/a” or “lo siento amigo/a.”
Make sure to change the ending of “tío/a” and “amigo/a” based on the gender of the person you’re talking to. Note that “tío” translates literally to “uncle,” but in slang, it means “dude.”
These options overlap with normal ways to say sorry in Spanish.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you communicate your intended meaning in English, Spanish, and more.
