Ways to apologize in Spanish
Nobody’s perfect, and if you spend any amount of time living in a Spanish-speaking country, you’re going to have to apologize at some point! Maybe you misspeak, maybe you miss an important appointment, or maybe you forget to do an assignment. There are countless things you might have to apologize for. So, how do you say “I’m sorry” in Spanish? The truth is, there are several different ways that you can apologize, with some more common than others. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common ways to say I’m sorry In Spanish.
| Spanish | English | How it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Lo siento | I'm sorry | Things you feel very sorry about |
| Perdón | Pardon | Simple apology, for example after bumping into someone |
| Perdón por... | I'm sorry that... | ie "I'm sorry that I was selfish" |
| Perdóname | Pardon me | Simple apology, for example after bumping into someone |
| Disculpa | Sorry / excuse me | Apologizing or asking permission |
| Discúlpame | Sorry / excuse me | Trivial apology (when you did something by accident) |
| Lamento que | I'm sorry that / I regret that | ie "I regret that I will be unable to attend" |
| Siento que... | I'm sorry that... | ie "Sorry that you didn't get what you wanted" |
Lo siento
This is one of the most common (albeit of the more counterintuitive) ways of saying I’m sorry in Spanish. That is because the direct translation is more akin to “I feel it.” While this may seem a little strange to the ears of an English speaker, it is actually a very heartfelt expression of apology. This is the most direct Spanish equivalent to the context where an English speaker would simply say “I’m sorry” – but, it’s not suitable for all use cases. For example, it’s a totally acceptable response to hearing that someone’s family member is sick, but a little too formal to use if you’ve just brushed up against somebody. Related: how to give condolences in Spanish
Perdón/Perdóname
Perdón is basically short for Perdóname, which is a bit of a mouthful. This one also seems a bit awkward at first because you are literally asking for forgiveness, but we assure you that it does not sound as weird in Spanish.
Disculpa/Discúlpame
Disculpa (or disculpe, if you want to be a bit more formal) can be used in the way an English speaker would say “sorry” or “excuse me”, both to apologize and to ask for permission. It is commonly used if you have not really done anything wrong.
Quick recap: Lo siento is used when you are actually sorry, perdón indicates that you are admitting blame for an action, and disculpe is used to ask permission or apologize in certain formal settings.
Remember there is no shame in needing to say I’m sorry from time to time. Everybody makes a mistake at one point or another. Particularly when you are first learning Spanish you may find yourself apologizing for your vocabulary (or lack thereof) or your accent (or lack thereof). The important thing is knowing how to clearly, simply, and sincerely apologize in a manner that is easy to understand.
”I wanted to say I’m sorry” in Spanish
- Sólo quería decirte que lamento…
- Solo quería disculparme
- Sólo quería decir lo mucho que lo siento por…
- Solo quería decirte lo siento.
How to respond to I’m sorry in Spanish
When someone makes a genuine mistake and sincerely apologizes, it’s important to know how to accept the apology gracefully.
Some common ways of responding to an apology in Spanish are:
- No hay problema (No problem.)
- No es nada (It’s not a problem)
- No importa (It’s fine)
- Ni importa (don’t even worry about it)
- No te preocupes (Don’t worry about it)
- Está bien (It’s cool)
- Todo bien (It’s all good)
- No pasa nada (No problem)
- Tranquilo (Relax / no worries)
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