"Lo siento"
Hola,
I know it means "I'm sorry", but how is this phrase grammatically constructed? What does "lo" and "siento" mean respectively?
Mucho gracias!
Jeff
3 Answers
"lo" = "it", direct object pronoun
"siento" = literally "I feel"
Literally, "It I feel"
Edit:
Some speculative elaboration - You've heard the expression in English, "I feel for you" -- you are offering to share the ill feelings. It's not the apology of "pardon me" or "excuse me" but more like "I sympathize with you."
Gracias, but can you elaborate how "I feel it" means "I'm sorry" in spanish?
Perhaps this expression has something to teach us about our own experience of repentance. Do we “feel it” in our souls, in our guts, when we have offended another person? Are we moved to repentance? Or do we merely say “I’m sorry” the same way we might say “excuse me” when bumping into someone in a crowd?
