How to Say Sorry in Spanish

Spanish has multiple distinct words for "sorry" that map to different situations: regret, getting attention, asking forgiveness, and apologising for something serious. English collapses most of these into the single word "sorry," which trips up English-speaking learners who pick one Spanish equivalent and use it for everything. This article covers the three core apology words, their correct contexts, the intensifiers, and the regional variations.

The three core apology phrases

Spanish distinguishes three primary apology situations:

The mistake English speakers make: defaulting to "lo siento" for everything. That works for genuine regret but reads oddly when you have bumped into someone or need to get past in a crowd.

Lo siento

Lo siento - literally "I feel it." Used for:

• Expressing sympathy ("I am sorry for your loss")
• Expressing regret about something unavoidable
• Apologising for something significant you have done
• Sincere apologies in personal contexts

Pronunciation: lo see-EN-toh.

Examples:

• Lo siento mucho por tu perdida. - I am very sorry for your loss.
• Lo siento, no quise hacerlo. - I am sorry, I did not mean to do that.
• Lo siento, pero no puedo ayudar. - I am sorry, but I cannot help.

Intensifiers:

• Lo siento mucho - I am very sorry.
• Lo siento muchisimo - I am extremely sorry.
• Lo siento de verdad - I am truly sorry.

Perdon / Perdoname

Perdon - literally "pardon" (noun). The standalone exclamation for minor mistakes, getting bumped, missing what someone said.

Perdoname - "Forgive me." The imperative verb form, used to ask for forgiveness for something specific.

Use perdon for:

• Bumping into someone in the street.
• Asking "what?" politely when you missed what someone said.
• Brief acknowledgement of a small mistake.
• Asking past someone in a crowded space.

Use perdoname for:

• Asking forgiveness for a specific wrong.
• More heartfelt apology for a mistake.
• Asking forgiveness for something serious between friends or family.

Examples:

• Perdon! (bumping into someone) - Sorry!
• Perdon, no escuche bien. - Sorry, I did not hear well.
• Perdoname por llegar tarde. - Forgive me for arriving late.
• Perdoname, no fue mi intencion. - Forgive me, it was not my intention.

The formal version is perdoneme (using the formal you "usted"):

• Perdoneme, senor. - Forgive me, sir.

Disculpe / Disculpa

Disculpe (formal) / Disculpa (informal) - literally "excuse" (imperative). Used for:

• Getting someone's attention politely
• Excusing yourself for a minor matter
• Politely interrupting

Pronunciation: dis-COOL-pay / dis-COOL-pah.

Use disculpe / disculpa for:

• Approaching a stranger to ask a question.
• Calling a waiter at a restaurant.
• Excusing yourself to leave a conversation.
• Apologising mildly when interrupting.

Examples:

• Disculpe, donde esta el bano? - Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
• Disculpe, podria ayudarme? - Excuse me, could you help me?
• Disculpa, te molesto? - Excuse me, am I bothering you?
• Disculpe la molestia. - Excuse the inconvenience.

The disculpe / lo siento distinction is important: disculpe is for getting attention or excusing yourself; lo siento is for genuine regret. Using lo siento to get a waiter's attention reads as oddly serious.

Combining the phrases

In real spoken Spanish, native speakers often combine the apology phrases for emphasis:

• Perdon, lo siento mucho. - Sorry, I am really sorry.
• Disculpame, perdon. - Excuse me, sorry.
• Lo siento, perdoname por favor. - I am sorry, please forgive me.

The combinations are not redundant; they layer the regret intensity.

Apologising for specific situations

When you are late

• Perdon por llegar tarde. - Sorry for arriving late.
• Disculpa la tardanza. - Excuse the lateness.
• Lo siento, hubo trafico. - Sorry, there was traffic.

When you have caused inconvenience

• Disculpe las molestias. - Excuse the inconvenience (formal).
• Lamento las molestias. - I regret the inconvenience (formal).

When you have made an error

• Perdon, fue un error. - Sorry, it was a mistake.
• Mil disculpas. - A thousand apologies (intensifier).

When you want to take responsibility

• Es mi culpa. - It is my fault.
• Asumo la responsabilidad. - I take responsibility.

When you are giving condolences

• Lo siento mucho por tu perdida. - I am very sorry for your loss.
• Mis condolencias. - My condolences.
• Te acompano en el sentimiento. - I share in your feeling (formal condolence).

Regional variations

Spain

• Perdona (using the tu form) is more common than perdoname in casual contexts.
• Lo siento is universal for genuine regret.
• Perdone is the formal "perdona" (using usted).
• The phrase vale, perdona ("okay, sorry") is common as a casual brief apology.

Mexico

• Perdon is universal.
• Disculpa / Disculpe is used very frequently for getting attention.
• Lo siento mucho is the standard sympathy formula.
• The phrase me apena (it pains me) is sometimes used for sincere regret in Mexican Spanish.

Argentina

• The vos pronoun affects the verb form: perdoname uses tu form; the vos form would be perdoname in modern usage with stress on the second syllable.
• Lo siento is universal.
• Mil disculpas is common as an intensified apology.

Colombia

• The frequent use of usted (including between friends) means disculpe is more common than in other regions.
• Que pena con usted! is a distinctively Colombian phrase meaning "what a pity / how sorry I am" - used for mild apology in casual contexts.

Caribbean Spanish (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic)

• Perdon dominates casual usage.
• Lo siento is standard for sympathy.
• Less use of formal disculpe than in mainland Latin American Spanish.

The cultural register

Spanish-speaking cultures tend to apologise less frequently and less performatively than English-speaking cultures (particularly British English-speaking cultures). The English habit of saying "sorry" for very minor things (someone else bumping into you, asking a question, taking a moment to think) does not translate well into Spanish.

Native Spanish speakers:

• Apologise for genuine mistakes or genuine regret.
• Use disculpe / disculpa as a politeness marker without apologising.
• Reserve lo siento for actual regret.
• Do not over-apologise for minor friction.

For English-speaking learners: cut the reflexive "sorry"s when something is not genuinely your fault. The Spanish equivalent is to use disculpe (excuse me) rather than lo siento (I am sorry) where you are not actually at fault.

A few useful related phrases

Responding when someone apologises to you

The casual default response is no pasa nada or no te preocupes. Te perdono is reserved for actual forgiveness of something meaningful.

How to actually internalise these

Three practical recommendations:

1. Match the apology to the situation. Bumped into someone? Perdon. Getting attention? Disculpe. Genuinely regretful? Lo siento. Don't default to one for everything.
2. Stop English-style over-apologising. Native Spanish speakers apologise less frequently than British English speakers. Trying to translate every English "sorry" into Spanish reads as oddly anxious.
3. Learn the formal-informal switch. Disculpe (formal) vs disculpa (informal) and perdoname (informal) vs perdoneme (formal) signal register awareness. Pick the right form for the situation.

Cross-references

• The Spanish for adult learners pillar covers the wider Spanish learning approach.
• The how to say thank you in Spanish article covers the gratitude vocabulary that pairs with apologies.
• The how to say hello in Spanish article covers the greeting register.
• The common mistakes for English speakers in Spanish article covers register and vocabulary gaps that frequently affect apology interactions.
• The Spanish grammar cheatsheet covers the imperative forms underlying perdoname / disculpe.