How to Say “Sorry” in Spanish - SpanishPod101.com Blog (2023)

There are many reasons why it’s important to be able to say “sorry” in Spanish, or any other language you’re learning. It’s one of the first things you learn when you start learning a language, and we’re sure you know why. Not only is it useful; it also shows manners, and those are important to have no matter where you are. That said, you’ll be glad that you learned how to say sorry in Spanish culture!

Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re on a trip to Spain, you’re walking down the street, and you accidentally bump into someone. They might not know you’re a tourist who doesn’t speak much Spanish, so you have two options here: you could choose not to say anything and look like the bad guy, or you could apologize and show how polite you are.

This is only one example of where you would need to say that you’re sorry in Spanish on a simple short trip to Spain, but if you’re planning on a longer trip—or on moving there—you’ll soon start to make Spanish-speaking friends. Even if you’re a friendly person, there are many situations where your friends might require an apology. You could forget their birthday, or you could…step on their dog’s tail by accident? Or what if you meet a special someone and you forget an important date? Anything could happen.

As you can see, the list could go on and on. We all make mistakes sometimes, and because we’re sure you’re a good person, we’re going to help you learn a few different ways to say “sorry” in the Spanish language, and how and when you should use each of them. Start with a bonus, anddownload your FREE cheat sheet – How to Improve Your Spanish Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Nine Ways of Saying “Sorry” in Spanish
2. Four other Sentences You Might Use to Apologize:
3. Six Different Answers You Might Get after Apologizing:
4. How SpanishPod101.com can Help You Learn Spanish

1. Nine Ways of Saying “Sorry” in Spanish

1-Sorry

When learning how to say “sorry” in the Spanish language, one of the first words you need to know issorry.Sorryis the most common way of saying “sorry,” and this also happens to be the Spanish word for “forgiveness”. We don’t consider this word to be formal or informal, because this word can be used in different contexts. But do keep in mind that it’s always used in minor incidents such as the situation in the example below.

Example:SorryI think I accidentally picked up your pencil.
Translation: “Sorry, I think I unintentionally grabbed your pencil.”

Another situation when you could apologize using the wordsorrywould be the first example we mentioned before, which is if you bump into someone by accident.

2-I'm sorry

I'm sorryis another common way to apologize in Spanish, and is usually the first one you learn when starting to learn Spanish, because it’s not as limited in meaning as the wordsorry. It literally means “I feel it” and it translates to “I’m sorry.”

It can be used in a much wider sense than the wordsorry: You can use it for both minor and major incidents. For example, it can be used to offer your condolences after your friend broke up with someone, or after someone has been fired.

This one has a few simple variations: If you’re not just sorry, butverysorry, you say:Very sorry. You use a third version,I'm really sorry, if you’revery,verysorry.

Example:Marta,very sorry,I just found out about your father.
Translation: “I’m so sorry, Marta, I just heard about your father.”

There’s still one last very common variation of this phrase, which consists of forming a sentence that starts withI feel, still meaning “I’m sorry,” followed by the action or situation you’re sorry for. Don’t worry, we’ll give you an example of this one too.

Example:I feelthat you had to go through this.
Translation: “I’m sorryyou had to go through this.”

3-I'm sorry

This phrase is very similar toI'm sorry, but it’s generally used either when you regret something or in sad situations, such as when offering your condolences.I'm sorryis, by far, not as commonly used asI'm sorry, so there’s no need to worry about memorizing this one right away.

Example:I've gone through this joke. I'm sorry.
Translation: “I went too far with this prank.I’m so sorry.”

4-Sorry

Sorryis another very common word in Spanish, and it translates to “excuse me.” Some people say that all waiters and waitresses are actually called “Perdona,” as that’s what one commonly uses to call them. You should also use this word if you want to ask a stranger for directions.

Example:Sorry,can you pass me the salt?
Translation: “Excuse me, could you pass me the salt?”

5-excuse me(formal)

excuse meis basically the formal version ofsorry, because it follows the conjugation of the formyou, instead ofyou(the common “you”). If you don’t know much Spanish yet, don’t worry about it, as it’s not that common anymore and it’s very likely you’ll never have to use it. We’ll use the same example we used with the formsorry, but translated to “pardon” so the difference is more obvious. Also notice that the main verb of the question also changes fromcantocan.

Example:excuse me,can you pass me the salt?
Translation: “Pardon, would you mind passing the salt?”

6-Forgive me

This one might sound similar to the previous two words in the list, but it actually has a different meaning, which is “forgive me.” You can also saysorrywhen you mean to say “forgive me,” but not the other way around; so you don’t sayforgive mewhen you mean to say just a casual “excuse me.”

Example:Forgive me,I didn't mean to hurt you.
Translation: “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

7-Sorryorexcuse me

This word,sorry, has the exact same meaning assorry, but it’s slightly more polite. While you can usesorryin all situations, this word is more limited in use. For example, a young person doesn’t usually saysorryto friends or family, but rather when addressing a stranger, a teacher, or a boss.

Whilesorryandforgive medon’t always have the same meaning,sorryandexcuse meare completely interchangeable.

Example:excuse me/excuse me,you have dropped the keys.
Translation: “Excuse me, you dropped your keys.”

8-Excuse me(formal)

Similar to the difference betweensorryandexcuse me,excuse meis the formal version ofsorry. It can be translated to “pardon” or “I beg your pardon.” We’ll use the same example as we did withsorry, with a couple of changes to make the difference more obvious.

Example:Excuse me, sir, you have dropped the keys.
Translation: “Pardon, sir, you dropped your keys.”

9-My deepest condolences

Looking for how to say “sorry for your loss” in Spanish? This last phrase can only be used during funerals or when offering your condolences. As we mentioned previously, you can also useI'm sorryorI'm sorry, but this one is much more specific and standard.

Example:Your father was a great man.My deepest condolences.
Translation: “Your father was a great man.My deepest condolences.”

2. Four other Sentences You Might Use to Apologize:

When you truly want to apologize to someone, you don’t just say “sorry” and leave, right? In situations like this, you’ll want to know other sentences that might be useful someday if you need to apologize to someone in Spanish. As opposed to the previous list, these phrases are pretty easy to translate into English and their meanings, once you understand them, will make perfect sense. Don’t worry, we’re going to give you examples of every single one. Here’s our shortlist of helpful phrases regarding how to say “sorry” in Spanish culture.

1-It was not my intention(“It was not my intention”)

Example:I'm sorry I hurt you.It was not my intention.
Translation: “I’m sorry I hurt you.It was not my intention.”

2-I will not do(“I won’t do it again”)

Example:Sorry for eating your sandwich.I will not do.
Translation: “I’m sorry I ate your sandwich.I won’t do it again.”

3-It won't happen/happen again(“It won’t happen again”)

Example:I know I've made a mistake, butIt will not happen again.
Translation: “I know I made a mistake, butit won’t happen again.”

4-I shouldn't have done it(“I shouldn’t have done it”)

Example:He thought he was doing the right thing, but he was wrong.I shouldn't have done it.
Translation: “I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong.I shouldn’t have done it.”

3. Six Different Answers You Might Get after Apologizing:

Just like in English, there are a few different ways of accepting an apology in Spanish. In Spanish, there are only a few of these responses and they’re pretty simple to understand, as they all have a direct translation to English and a very clear meaning, so once again, they don’t require an explanation.

1-Don't worry(“Don’t worry”)

Example:A:Have I stepped on you? Sorry!
B:Don't worryI haven't even noticed it.
Translation:A: “Did I step on you? I’m sorry!”
B: “Don’t worry, I didn’t even feel it.”

2-No problem(“It’s nothing”)

Example:A:Oh, sorry, I spilled some water.
B:No problem,I'm going for a rag.
Translation:A: “Oh, I’m sorry, I dropped a bit of water.”
B: “It’s nothing, I’ll go get a cloth.”

3-It doesn't matter(“It doesn’t matter”)

Example:A:Yesterday it was your birthday? Forgive me, I forgot!
B:It doesn't matter.
Translation:A: “Your birthday was yesterday? Forgive me, I forgot!”
B: “It doesn’t matter.”

4-I forgive you(“I forgive you”)

Example:A:I'm sorry, mom, I broke a cup. You forgive me?
B:Of courseI forgive you.
Translation:A: “I’m sorry, Mom, I broke a cup. Can you forgive me?”
B: “Of courseI forgive you.”

5-Gracias(“Thanks”)

Example:A:My deepest condolences.
B:Gracias.
Translation:A: “I’m sorry for your loss.”
B: “Thanks.”

6-It's not your fault(“It’s not your fault”)

Example:A:I'm very sorry, but I can't go tonight, my father is sick.
B:It's not your fault, we'll see each other another time.
Translation:A: “I’m so sorry, but I can’t go tonight, my dad is sick.”
B: “It’s not your fault, I’ll see you some other time.”

4. How SpanishPod101.com can Help You Learn Spanish

Now you know how to say “sorry” in Spain, but what if you wanted to visit Mexico? You can click on the following link to learnCommon Ways to Say Sorry in Mexican Spanish. You’ll see that some of these sentences are the same, or very similar, but you might learn some interesting new ones!

If you’re not sure how to pronounce some of these words, you can check out SpanishPod101.com’s guide onSpanish Pronunciation.

At SpanishPod101.com, you’ll find everything you need to learn Spanish. For example, if you followthis link, you’ll find hundreds of different useful vocabulary lists in Spanish. But hey, that’s not all! We have all the resources you need to become fluent in the language and knowledgeable in the culture. Just visit our website, explore, and learn!

We hope this article on how to say “sorry” in the Spanish language was helpful to you. Continue practicing, and it won’t be long until you master the art of how to say “sorry” in Spanish culture. Best of luck!