14 Spanish Apologies: How to Say Sorry in Spanish (2023)

Knowing how to sayforgivenessin Spanish is one of the basics for using the language. It is definitely one of the top everyday phrases along with others like “please”, “Thanks," And "You're welcome.” These phrases are useful not only because they can get you out of trouble, but also because they allow you to show your manners.

Spanish learners usually studyI'm sorryearly, which is definitely a good start. But just like in English, there are many ways to say sorry in Spanish to fit different contexts. What's the best response when you made a mistake, accidentally bumped into someone, want to show empathy, or need to get someone's attention?

In other words, how do you sayI'm sorryin Spanish? In this post we present you with numerous options to give your apologies in Spanish and explain them, fromExcuse meToSorry for the inconvenience. Many of our options are actually very easy, so you've come to the right place if you're looking for how to say itforgivenessin Spanish.

Without further ado, let's dive in and learn how to saysorry in spanish!

Phrases for "sorry" and "excuse me" in Spanish

Just like in English, we have different ways of sayingforgivenessin Spanish depending on the seriousness of the situation. Since some of them are pretty easy, here we're including some that are actually better ways of saying itforgivenessin Spanish.

forgiveness

sorry sorry

forgivenessis the most common way of sayingforgivenessin Spanish. This should be easy for English speakers as it is the direct translation ofpardonin Spanish! It's a noun, so it's another translation ofthe forgivenessis in englishforgiveness. It's also a pretty good approximation of in many contextsforgivenessin Spanish.

Generally we useforgivenessto ask for forgiveness if the mistake we made is minor or insignificant. Are you walking down the street and bump into someone? You sayforgiveness. Someone is talking and you interrupt them? you should sayforgiveness.

• forgivenessWould you pass me the sugar, please? –forgivenessWould you pass me the sugar, please?

forgive me, forgive me

forgive me, forgive me

Forgive meis clearly very closeforgiveness, with the difference that in this case we use the verbpardonask someone's forgiveness. The expression is directly translated as eitherforgive meorExcuse mein Spanish.

Since we use this phrase to address someone directly, there are both informal and formal versions depending on whether we would address the person asOforOf.Forgive meis for informal contexts where we would useOf, while the formalforgivenessis for addressing someone asOf.

• Informal:Forgive mefor talking to yourself like that, Ana. I did not want. –Forgive mefor talking to yourself like that, Ana. I did not want to.

• Formal:forgivenessfor not answering your call, sir. –Forgive mefor not getting in touch with you, sir.

Sorry, sorry

forgiveness

If we omit the direct object pronounMichfrom the previous expression we are simply left with the Spanish verbpardon. Translate aspardonorforgive, we can ask this of people as another alternative for sayingforgivenessin Spanish. In this case we just sayforgivenessorforgiveness, again depending on whether we addressOforOf.

Although sometimes used for excuses, especially in Spain, the better approximation offorgivenessis easy to say as an option for howforgivenessin Spanish.

• forgivenessWould you bring me the bill, please? –forgiveness, would you bring me the check, please?

To ask for forgiveness

Apologize, ask for forgiveness

In this construction we start with the Spanish verbquestions, Meaningto demand.To ask for forgivenessso translates to English asto ask for forgiveness, although a better approximation is easyto apologize. This is a somewhat formal expression reserved for situations where we wish to offera sincere apology.

• You need toto ask for forgivenessnow to your brother. - You need toto apologizenow to your brother.

forgiveness

Excuse me, may I?

This phrase is also a very easy option to sayforgivenessin Spanish, although perhaps some Canadian English speakers would actually use itforgivenessin these contexts. Literally,forgivenesstranslated to English aswith permission.

we useforgivenesswhen we want to get someone's attention, to ask their permission to do something. It is often pronounced with a tone of voice that makes it sound like a question.

• forgiveness, can I pass? –forgiveness, may I come inside?

• forgivenessDo you want me to remove your dishes? –forgiveness, may I clear your plates?

While con permiso is often followed with a specific questionas we have seen in these examples, we can also use it alone if what we are requesting is implied:

• ¿forgiveness? –may I?

Sorry, sorry

Sorry, sorry, sorry

The next options on how to apologize in Spanish are very similar to the first ones. As we have seenthe forgivenessAndpardon, here we start with the nounthe apologyand then you see the verbExcuse.

Excuse meis in englishan apology, whileforgivenessAreexcusesin Spanish. Both can be used for light apologies. These are perfect when we want to acknowledge that the person we're addressing may be experiencing a slight discomfort, but we both know it's no big deal.

Use of the plural formforgivenessis similar to saymy apologiesin Spanish. Regardless of whether we use the singular or the plural form, we can also think of this expression as a quick way to say simplySorry for the inconveniencein Spanish.

• Excuse me. Your table is ready. –Sorry for the inconvenience. Your table is now ready.

• The kitchen is already closed.Excuse me. – The kitchen is already closed.We apologize.

Another very common use for the singularforgivenessis simply a polite way of getting someone's attention. While some English speakers in Canada or the UK might sayforgivenessthe better way to translate in this contextforgivenesshere would be likeforgivenessin Spanish.

• forgiveness, you dropped a piece of paper. –forgiveness, you dropped a paper.

• forgiveness, Where is the restroom? –forgiveness, Where is the restroom?

duty sorry

Owe an apology

This expression builds on the verbDuty, MeaningThis one herein Spanish. As in English, we use this with sincerity when we know we did something wrong and want to tell the other person that we acknowledge our guilt.duty sorrytranslates directly asowe an apology.

This is a good place to mention a related word:Debt, MeaningDebt,Mistake, orto blamein Spanish.

• Misbehaved.I owe you an apology. - I behaved badly.I owe you an apology.

Sorry, sorry

Excuse me, sorry, I'm sorry

This expression uses the imperative form of the verbExcuseis definitely more formal than our previous expression with the noun. Contrary to the light use offorgivenessFor trivial matters, this expression is more appropriate for situations where we would like to make an appropriate apology.

Since the verb is the equivalent ofexcusein Spanish we always have to specify the direct object pronounMichin this expression. As we have seen with our perdonar expressions, the two versions correspond to whether we are addressingOfvsOf:forgivenessvsforgiveness, or Regardless of whether the form tú or usted is used, however, Spaniards generally use this expression more formally.

If you are looking for how to sayforgivenessin Spanish this expression is a direct translation. Nonetheless, other English alternatives might fit better in the context, whether or not we choose to do somy apologiesor justI'm sorry.

• forgivenessbecause you didn't go to your party last night. –I apologizebecause you didn't go to your party last night.

• forgiveness, sir, but I can't take care of you right now. –my apologies, sir, but I can't help you right now.

To apologize

To apologize, to ask for understanding

While we have already covered the nounExcuse meand the verbExcuse, is an even more formal construction to sayto apologize. This expression is constructed similar toto ask for forgivenessthat we saw earlier.

By starting with the Spanish verbquestions, Meaningto demand, and then following withforgiveness, the expressionto apologizeis the equivalent ofto apologizein Spanish. Another rough translation ofto apologizecould beask for understanding.

We use this expression with a direct object to indicate what we are apologizing for. The conjugation in the first person singular ofquestionsIsI ask. Depending on the context, proverbforgivenessin spanish withto apologizecan range from formal to fairly neutral and impersonal.

• I apologizefor the inconvenience. –I apologizefor the inconvenience.

• Thewe apologizein the name of the company. -Weto apologizein the name of the company.

I sincerely apologize

I sincerely apologize

I sincerely apologizeis an emphatic application of theto apologizeVerb construction that we saw above, with a rough translation ofI sincerely ask for your understanding. This expression is often used when we really want to tell someone how sorry we are for our actions. It is best interpreted asI sincerely apologizein Spanish.

• I didn't know it hurt him.I sincerely apologize. - I didn't realize I hurt you.I sincerely apologize.

I'm sorry

Excuse me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

I'm sorryis often the first phrase many language students learn how to sayforgivenessin Spanish. While it is indeed versatile enough to be applied in many contexts, we have not listed it here first becauseforgivenessAndforgivenessoften remain better options in everyday situations where you just want to be in chargeforgivenessin Spanish.

So what aboutI'm sorryin English? The literal translation ofI'm sorryis actuallyI feel it. Howforgiveness, it can be used in response to minor incidents, but may also be appropriate in contexts where the severity of the incident is much greater. Let's look at some low-key examples:

• I'm sorry, we're out of blue caps. –I'm sorry, we're out of blue caps.

• I lost your lighter.I'm sorry. – I lost your lighter.I'm sorry.

Very sorry

I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry

As we saw from the examples in our last section,I'm sorrycan be used when the problem we're sorry for is fairly trivial. Nonetheless, it is also suitable when the problem is quite serious. At this heavier end of the spectrum, we tend to amplify our expression by addinga lot:Very sorryin English may be variants ofI'm sorryorI'm really sorry.

• Very sorrybut today I can't accompany you, I feel very bad. –I'm really sorrybut I can't come today, I'm very sick.

• I heard from your grandfather.Very sorry. – I found out about your grandfather.I'm sorry for your loss.

Remember that wordplease referInI'm sorryis adirect object pronounMeaningEs, referring to the specific thing we are sorry for. While a translation ofI'm sorryin English can sometimes beI'm sorry, the better alternative, as we saw in our last example, can also contain what we're sorry for.

Feel

Feelis the Spanish verb meaningfeelthat the previousI'm sorryExpressions build on it.

As we saw in our previous explanation, theI'm sorryThe construction is based on the singular conjugation of in the first personfeel(I feel) together with the direct object pronounplease referto point out what I'm sorry about. The same meaning can apply when we conjugatefeelwith other subjects, or when we explicitly state the direct object instead of replacing it with a pronoun.

Feelcan therefore be used to say sorry in Spanish without necessarily involving the direct object pronoun. Still, this formula is for how to sayforgivenessin Spanish is less common than others, but you're likely to still come across it.

• We are very sorrythe uncomfortable. –We are very sorryfor the inconvenience.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry

To regret, I'm so sorry [about it]

WithI'm sorry, we actually have a heavier term for how to sayforgivenessin Spanish. The Spanish VerbComplaintranslated asTo complain,regret, or alsomourn, so the use of this phrase is generally reserved for situations that we think are a pretty big deal.

Similar toI'm sorry, we can use the direct object pronounplease referto say we're sorryEs. Likewise, we can also strengthen our expression by addinga lot.

• forgivenessinform that the flight will not arrive on time. -Weregretto inform you that the flight will not arrive on time.

• I'm sorryyou are lost. –I'm sorryfor your loss

As you may have noticedVery sorryAndI'm sorryare more dramatic expressions that people use to show support and offer condolences. For further statements in this direction, we recommend our special contributionsorry in spanish.

How to reply to an apology in Spanish

Now that we've seen all the different ways to say sorry in Spanish, what about some common answers? Here we give just a few simple answers, depending on the context.

Respond when you receive an apology for a minor incident

• No problem. - Do not worry.

• No worries. - Do not worry.

• In order. - It is in order.

• No meaning. - It does not matter.

• You do not have to apologize. - No need to apologize.

How to tell someone you forgive them

• Te perdono. - I forgive you.

• You're excused. - I forgive you.

How to thank someone

• Graces. - Thank you very much.

Conclusion: sorry and sorry in spanish

As we saw in this post, we have many expressions for how to sayforgivenessin Spanish. Choosing the right one all depends on the context as well as the intent you want to convey.

On the whole we could say that variations offorgivenessAndforgivenessare used to admit guilt for something, the variations ofI'm sorryare used to show sadness while expressions build upon itComplainare used for regret.

Many of the expressions we have seen are reserved for very trivial circumstances, essentially as variants, as they sayforgivenessin Spanish.forgiveness,forgiveness, Andforgivenessare all very similar in this regard to simply admit a minor disturbance to the other person whileforgivenessspecifically asks for permission for a minor disruption.

For intermediate contexts where we see the need to apologize, we haveforgive me,forgiveness,to apologize, AndI'm sorry.

For heavier contexts where we need to sincerely apologize in Spanish we can useto ask for forgiveness,sorry,I sincerely apologize, AndComplain. To express sincere sorrow, we use bestVery sorry,feel, orI'm sorry.

Between all these different ways, as you can sayforgivenessin Spanish, we hope this post has helped you expand your options beyond the simpleforgivenessorI'm sorry! Finally, we leave you with some exercises to practice choosing the right expression for the context.

Exercises: How to apologize in Spanish

Choose the correct option based on the context. The answers and translations are below.

1. (Excuse me - I'm sorry), could you repeat the question?

2. I found out about your father. Don't know how much (sorry – sorry).

3. (Sorry - sorry), but I can't come to class tomorrow.

4. (Sorry - We're so sorry) I didn't see you. I didn't want to step on you.

5. The kids (sorry - they're so sorry) for how badly they behaved last weekend.

6. (Sorry - we're sorry) to inform you that the trip to Madrid has been cancelled.

7. (sorry - sorry), can you tell me where the canned goods are?

Answer

1.forgivenesscould you repeat the question –forgiveness, Could you repeat the question?

2. I found out about your father. you don't know how muchI'm sorry. – I heard from your father. you don't know howsorry i am.

3.I'm sorry, but I can't come to class tomorrow. –I'm sorry, but I can't come to class tomorrow.

4.forgiveness, I did not see you. I didn't want to step on you. –forgiveness, I did not see you. I didn't want to step on you.

5. Kinderthey apologizedbecause they behaved so badly last weekend. -The childrenhe apologizedfor misconduct last weekend.

6.forgivenessTo inform you that the trip to Madrid has been cancelled. -Weregretto inform you that the trip to Madrid has been cancelled.

7.forgivenessCan you tell me where the canned goods are? –forgiveness, can you tell me where the canned food is?