If you speak English, you get one magic word for almost everything: “sorry.” Step on someone’s foot? Sorry. Show up late? Sorry. Accidentally emotionally ruin 2014? Also… sorry.
In Spanish, you still apologize, but you have a whole toolbox instead of one tiny screwdriver. You choose between lo siento /lo ˈsjento/ — I’m sorry, perdón /peɾˈðon/ — sorry, pardon, disculpa /disˈkulpa/ — sorry (informal), and a few more depending on how serious the situation is and who you’re talking to.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know which “sorry” to use on the metro, which one to use with your boss, and which one to use when you really messed up and would like to remain a human being in that relationship.
Quick Primer: Lo Siento, Perdón, Disculpa
There are three main “sorry families” you need to know:
- Lo siento /lo ˈsjento/ — I’m sorry (I feel it). This focuses on your feelings about what happened. It’s stronger and more emotional.
- Perdón /peɾˈðon/ — sorry, pardon, excuse me. Used for small accidents, interruptions, or asking for forgiveness in general.
- Disculpa /disˈkulpa/ — excuse me, sorry (informal tú). The formal version is disculpe /disˈkulpe/ — excuse me, sorry (formal usted).
You’ll also see pedir perdón /peˈðiɾ peɾˈðon/ — to apologize, to ask for forgiveness and pedir disculpas /peˈðiɾ disˈkulpas/ — to apologize, literally “ask for excuses.”
Two key ideas:
- Tú vs usted affects your sorry-word forms (disculpa vs disculpe, perdona vs perdone).
- The more serious the situation, the more you’ll lean towards lo siento, lo siento mucho, or lo lamento /lo laˈmen.to/ — I’m sorry, I regret it (stronger, often formal).
Core Ways To Say “I’m Sorry” In Spanish
Here are the most common “sorry” expressions you’ll actually use.
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Lo siento. | lo ˈsjento | I’m sorry. |
| Lo siento mucho. | lo ˈsjento ˈmu.tʃo | I’m very sorry. |
| Lo siento muchísimo. | lo ˈsjento muˈtʃi.si.mo | I’m so, so sorry. |
| Perdón. | peɾˈðon | Sorry. / Pardon. |
| Perdóname. | peɾˈðo.na.me | Forgive me. / I’m sorry. (informal) |
| Perdóneme. | peɾˈðo.ne.me | Forgive me. / I’m sorry. (formal) |
| Disculpa. | disˈkulpa | Sorry. / Excuse me. (informal) |
| Disculpe. | disˈkulpe | Sorry. / Excuse me. (formal) |
| Te pido perdón. | te ˈpi.ðo peɾˈðon | I ask your forgiveness. / I’m really sorry. |
| Le pido disculpas. | le ˈpi.ðo disˈkulpas | I apologize. (formal, to usted) |
| Lo lamento. | lo laˈmen.to | I’m sorry. / I regret it. (serious, often formal) |
Usage notes in plain language:
- Lo siento is your classic emotional “I’m sorry.” Use it when someone is hurt, upset, or something bad happened.
- Perdón is super flexible: bumping someone, interrupting, or apologizing after a small mistake.
- Disculpa/disculpe often works like “excuse me” when getting someone’s attention or apologizing politely.
- Lo lamento sounds more serious and formal, almost like “I deeply regret it.” You’ll hear it in news and official apologies, but also from polite humans who really feel bad.
Apologizing For Something Specific: “Perdón Por…”
Most real apologies need more than a single word. You usually say sorry for something specific.
Introduce that with por /poɾ/ — for or with que /ke/ and a verb.
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Perdón por llegar tarde. | peɾˈðon poɾ ʝeˈɣaɾ ˈtaɾ.ðe | Sorry for being late. |
| Lo siento por lo de ayer. | lo ˈsjento poɾ lo ðe aˈʝeɾ | I’m sorry about yesterday. |
| Disculpa por el ruido. | disˈkulpa poɾ el ˈrwi.ðo | Sorry for the noise. (informal) |
| Disculpe por la confusión. | disˈkulpe poɾ la kom.fuˈsjon | Sorry for the confusion. (formal) |
| Siento haberte interrumpido. | ˈsjento aˈβeɾ.te in.te.runˈpi.ðo | I’m sorry I interrupted you. (informal) |
| Le pido perdón por el retraso. | le ˈpi.ðo peɾˈðon poɾ el reˈtɾa.so | I apologize for the delay. (formal) |
Patterns you can copy:
- Perdón por + [noun or infinitive]
Perdón por el mensaje tan tarde. — Sorry for the message so late. - Lo siento por + [lo de + noun/time]
Lo siento por lo de antes. — I’m sorry about earlier. - Siento/Siento mucho + [infinitive or que + subjunctive]
Siento haberte hablado así. — I’m sorry I spoke to you like that.
Little grammar note: when you use que after siento/lo siento with a full sentence, you normally trigger the subjunctive, because you’re expressing emotion about something that happened:
Lo siento mucho que haya pasado esto. /lo ˈsjento ˈmu.tʃo ke ˈa.ʝa paˈsa.ðo ˈes.to/ — I’m very sorry this happened.
If that sounds scary, you can survive just fine using the simpler patterns above first.
Formal Apologies (Work, School, Strangers)
When you’re emailing a professor, talking to customer service, or apologizing at work, you want to sound respectful without dramatic soap-opera energy.
Useful formal phrases:
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Le pido disculpas por el error. | le ˈpi.ðo disˈkulpas poɾ el eˈror | I apologize for the mistake. |
| Lamento el inconveniente. | laˈmen.to el iŋ.kon.beˈnjente | I’m sorry for the inconvenience. |
| Lamento mucho lo sucedido. | laˈmen.to ˈmu.tʃo lo su.seˈðiðo | I deeply regret what happened. |
| Le aseguro que no volverá a pasar. | le a.seˈɣu.ɾo ke no βol.βeˈɾa a paˈsaɾ | I assure you it won’t happen again. |
| Le agradezco su comprensión. | le a.ɣɾaˈðes.ko su kom.pɾenˈsjon | I appreciate your understanding. |
These work perfectly in emails, meetings, and official messages. You can combine them:
Lamento el inconveniente y le pido disculpas por el retraso.
/laˈmen.to el iŋ.kon.beˈnjente i le ˈpi.ðo disˈkulpas poɾ el reˈtɾa.so/
I’m sorry for the inconvenience and I apologize for the delay.
Notice the consistent usted tone: le pido, le aseguro, le agradezco. Keep that pattern and you’ll sound politely grown-up.
Informal & Emotional Apologies (Friends, Family, Relationships)
Now the more dangerous territory: apologizing to people you actually care about. Here the words matter, but the tone matters even more.
Useful emotional phrases:
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Perdóname, me equivoqué. | peɾˈðo.na.me me e.ki.βoˈke | Forgive me, I was wrong. |
| Lo siento muchísimo, de verdad. | lo ˈsjento muˈtʃi.si.mo ðe βeɾˈðað | I’m so, so sorry, really. |
| No fue mi intención. | no ˈfwe mi intenˈsjon | I didn’t mean to. |
| No quería hacerte daño. | no keˈɾi.a aˈseɾ.te ˈða.ɲo | I didn’t want to hurt you. |
| Te pido perdón con todo mi corazón. | te ˈpi.ðo peɾˈðon kon ˈto.ðo mi koɾaˈson | I’m asking your forgiveness with all my heart. |
| Me siento fatal por lo que pasó. | me ˈsjento faˈtal poɾ lo ke paˈso | I feel awful about what happened. |
You can soften apologies by adding responsibility:
- Fue culpa mía. /ˈfwe ˈkul.pa ˈmi.a/ — It was my fault.
- Me equivoqué contigo. /me e.ki.βoˈke konˈti.ɣo/ — I was wrong with you.
And you can strengthen them by offering repair (more on that in the next section).
Taking Responsibility And Fixing Things
A solid apology in Spanish doesn’t stop at “I’m sorry.” You often add something like “It was my fault,” “It won’t happen again,” or “How can I fix it?”
Useful formulas:
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Fue culpa mía. | ˈfwe ˈkul.pa ˈmi.a | It was my fault. |
| Asumo toda la responsabilidad. | aˈsu.mo ˈto.ða la res.ponsaβi.liˈðað | I take full responsibility. |
| No va a volver a pasar. | no ˈβa a bol.ˈβeɾ a paˈsaɾ | It’s not going to happen again. |
| ¿Cómo puedo arreglarlo? | ˈko.mo ˈpwe.ðo areˈɣlar.lo | How can I fix it? |
| Déjame enmendarlo. | ˈde.xa.me en.menˈðar.lo | Let me make it right. |
| La próxima vez te aviso antes. | la ˈpɾok.si.ma ˈβes te aˈβi.so ˈan.tes | Next time I’ll let you know earlier. |
In many cultures, including the Spanish-speaking world, showing you want to repair the damage often matters more than exactly which sorry-word you chose. Pairing “lo siento” with one of these is a strong combo:
Lo siento, fue culpa mía. No va a volver a pasar.
/lo ˈsjento fwe ˈkul.pa ˈmi.a no ˈβa a bol.ˈβeɾ a paˈsaɾ/
I’m sorry, it was my fault. It won’t happen again.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
A few classic traps for English speakers:
1. Using lo siento for everything
Lo siento is great, but sometimes perdón or disculpa/disculpe is more natural:
- On a crowded bus: Perdón. — Sorry. / Excuse me.
- Calling the waiter: Disculpe. — Excuse me.
Think of lo siento as “I feel bad about this” and perdón/disculpa as “excuse me / my bad.”
2. Translating “sorry” when you just need “excuse me”
When you want to pass in front of someone, you can say:
- Perdón. /peɾˈðon/ — Sorry. / Excuse me.
- Con permiso. /kon peɾˈmi.so/ — Excuse me. (literally “with permission.”)
You don’t need lo siento in those cases.
3. Forgetting formality
Using disculpa with your professor can feel too casual in many places. Safer options:
- Formal: Disculpe, profesor, llegué tarde. /disˈkulpe pɾofeˈsoɾ ʝeˈɣe ˈtaɾ.ðe/ — Excuse me, professor, I arrived late.
- Informal: Perdona, llegué tarde. /peɾˈðo.na ʝeˈɣe ˈtaɾ.ðe/ — Sorry, I was late.
4. Over-apologizing in emails
In English, “Sorry for the late reply” appears everywhere. In Spanish, you can use:
- Perdón por contestar tan tarde. /peɾˈðon poɾ kontesˈtaɾ tan ˈtaɾ.ðe/ — Sorry for replying so late.
But if you apologize in every email line, it sounds insecure. Use it once, then move on to the point.
Region Notes
Overall, the same apology words exist across the Spanish-speaking world, but usage flavor changes a bit.
- Spain
You’ll hear perdona /peɾˈðo.na/ — sorry (tú) and perdone /peɾˈðo.ne/ — sorry (usted) a lot when addressing people in shops, the street, or offices. Disculpa/disculpe also appear, but perdona/perdone is extremely common. - Latin America
Perdón, disculpa, and disculpe are widely used. In some countries, people lean more towards disculpe for polite strangers (waiters, staff), while perdón is for small accidents. Lo siento and lo siento mucho are universal for emotional situations. - Neutral safe choices
Perdón and lo siento work almost everywhere without sounding strange. Disculpe is a good polite “excuse me” to people you don’t know well.
Mini Dialogues
Here are some short, copy-ready dialogues involving apologies.
- Bumping Someone On The Street
Perdón, no te vi. /peɾˈðon no te ˈβi/
Sorry, I didn’t see you.
No pasa nada. /no ˈpa.sa ˈna.ða/
It’s no big deal.
- Being Late To A Class Or Meeting
Disculpe, llego un poco tarde. /disˈkulpe ˈʝe.ɣo un ˈpo.ko ˈtaɾ.ðe/
I’m sorry, I’m arriving a bit late.
No se preocupe, siéntese, por favor. /no se pɾeoˈku.pe ˈsjente.se poɾ faˈβoɾ/
Don’t worry, please have a seat.
- Apologizing To A Friend
Lo siento mucho por lo de ayer. /lo ˈsjento ˈmu.tʃo poɾ lo ðe aˈʝeɾ/
I’m really sorry about yesterday.
Yo también lo siento, no fue solo culpa tuya. /ʝo tamˈbjen lo ˈsjento no ˈfwe ˈso.lo ˈkul.pa ˈtu.ʝa/
I’m sorry too, it wasn’t only your fault.
- Relationship-Level Apology
Perdóname, me equivoqué contigo. /peɾˈðo.na.me me e.ki.βoˈke konˈti.ɣo/
Forgive me, I was wrong with you.
Necesito tiempo, pero agradezco que me lo digas. /ne.sesiˈto ˈtjem.po ˈpe.ɾo a.ɣɾaˈðes.ko ke me lo ˈði.ɣas/
I need time, but I appreciate you telling me.
Quick Reference
Screenshot this and keep it for emergency “oh no” moments.
| Spanish | IPA | English |
| Lo siento. | lo ˈsjento | I’m sorry. |
| Lo siento mucho. | lo ˈsjento ˈmu.tʃo | I’m very sorry. |
| Perdón. | peɾˈðon | Sorry. / Pardon. |
| Disculpa. | disˈkulpa | Sorry. / Excuse me. (informal) |
| Disculpe. | disˈkulpe | Sorry. / Excuse me. (formal) |
| Perdón por llegar tarde. | peɾˈðon poɾ ʝeˈɣaɾ ˈtaɾ.ðe | Sorry for being late. |
| Lo siento por lo de antes. | lo ˈsjento poɾ lo ðe ˈan.tes | I’m sorry about earlier. |
| Te pido perdón. | te ˈpi.ðo peɾˈðon | I’m really sorry. (informal) |
| Le pido disculpas por el error. | le ˈpi.ðo disˈkulpas poɾ el eˈror | I apologize for the mistake. |
| No va a volver a pasar. | no ˈβa a bol.ˈβeɾ a paˈsaɾ | It won’t happen again. |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- One-minute “sorry inventory”
Think of three recent situations where you said “sorry” in English. For each one, decide: would you use lo siento, perdón, or disculpa/disculpe in Spanish? - Pattern drill (por + thing)
Write five sentences with perdón por + [noun/infinitive]. Example: Perdón por el ruido; Perdón por escribir tan tarde. Say them out loud once each. - Emotional upgrade
Take a simple Lo siento and make three stronger versions: Lo siento mucho; Lo siento muchísimo; Lo siento mucho, fue culpa mía. Read them with real feeling, not robot mode. - Formal vs informal pairs
Write two versions of the same apology: one with tú, one with usted. For example, Disculpa por llegar tarde / Disculpe por llegar tarde. Say them and feel the difference in tone. - Mini-dialogue shadowing
Choose one mini dialogue. Listen to yourself reading both parts aloud, copying the rhythm. Then close your eyes and try to say it again from memory. - Real-life mission
In the next few days, if you bump someone, interrupt, or arrive late in a Spanish context, choose one short phrase from this guide and actually use it. Real-life XP beats textbook XP every time.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Knowing how to pedir perdón in Spanish isn’t just about surviving mistakes; it’s about sounding human, kind, and emotionally fluent. With lo siento, perdón, and disculpa in your pocket, you can bump into people, show up late, and even mess up feelings—then rebuild bridges like a pro. Just remember: good apologies in any language are 50% words, 50% actions… and 100% better than ghosting.