Make Excuses in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to make excuses in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• describe a person’s personality

• make excuses

• explain why you don’t want to do something

Vocabulary

Let's start off with the vocab words in these lessons!

Adjectives

Spanish	English
pesado	annoying
presumido	stuck-up
quisquilloso	fussy
vanidoso	vain

Remember that we use ser(to be) with lasting traits and estar(to be) with temporary states.

examples
Ana es muy quisquillosa. Ana is really fussy.
Para mí, Ana es pesada. In my opinion, Ana is annoying.
También, Ana es vanidosa. Also, Ana is vain.

Remember that adjectives must match the nouns that they describe in number and gender.

Adverb

Spanish	English
encima	on top of that

examples
Encima, tengo mucho trabajo. On top of that, I have a lot of work.

Noun

Spanish	English
la videoconferencia	videoconference

examples
Sí, tengo que hacer una videoconferencia. Yes, I have to do a videoconference.

Phrases

Spanish	English
buena onda	cool
mala onda	mean
para empezar	to start with
por eso	because of that

examples
¡Pero Ana es buena onda! But Ana is cool!
Para mí, Ana es mala onda. In my opinion, Ana is mean.
Para empezar, estoy muy ocupado. To start with, I'm really busy.
Por eso, no tengo mucho tiempo. Because of that, I don't have much time.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Acostumbrar

Acostumbrar is a regular -ar verb that means to be in the habit of.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	^ acostumbro^	I'm in the habit of
tú	acostumbras	you're in the habit of	informal singular you
vos	acostumbrás	you're in the habit of	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	acostumbra	he's, she's in the habit of
usted	acostumbra	you're in the habit of	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	acostumbramos	we're in the habit of
vosotros, vosotras	acostumbráis	you're in the habit of	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	acostumbran	they're in the habit of
ustedes	acostumbran	you're in the habit of	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that acostumbrar is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
No acostumbro salir entre semana. I'm not in the habit of going out during the week.

Parar

Pararis a regular -ar verb that means to stop.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	paro	I stop
tú	paras	you stop	informal singular you
vos	parás	you stop	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	para	he, she stops
usted	para	you stop	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	paramos	we stop
vosotros, vosotras	paráis	you stop	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	paran	they stop
ustedes	paran	you stop	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that parar as in to stop (doing an activity) is followed by de and an infinitive verb.

examples
Nunca para de hablar. She never stops talking.

Perder

Perder(to waste or to lose) is a stem-changing verb. That means that its "stem," pe, changes to pie in all forms except for the vos, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	pierdo	I waste, lose
tú	pierdes	you waste, lose	informal singular you*
vos	perdés	you waste, lose	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	pierde	he, she wastes, loses
usted	pierde	you waste, lose	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	perdemos	we waste, lose
vosotros, vosotras	perdéis	you waste, lose	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	pierden	they waste, lose
ustedes	pierden	you waste, lose	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Prepararse

Prepararseis a reflexive verb that means to get ready.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me preparo	I get ready
tú	te preparas	you get ready	informal singular you
vos	te preparás	you get ready	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se prepara	he, she gets ready
usted	se prepara	you get ready	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos preparamos	we get ready
vosotros, vosotras	os preparáis	you get ready	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se preparan	they get ready
ustedes	se preparan	you get ready	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Soler

Soler(to tend to) is a stem-changing verb. That means that its "stem," so, changes to sue in all forms except for the vos, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	suelo	I tend to
tú	sueles	you tend to	informal singular you
vos	solés	you tend to	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	suele	he, she tends to
usted	suele	you tend to	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	solemos	we tend to
vosotros, vosotras	soléis	you tend to	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	suelen	they tend to
ustedes	suelen	you tend to	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that soler is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
Suele llegar tarde. She tends to arrive late.

Verb Phrases

In this skill, you learn the following verb phrases!

Alcanzar A

Alcanzar ais a regular -ar verb phrase that means to manage to.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	alcanzo a	I manage to
tú	alcanzas a	you manage to	informal singular you
vos	alcanzás a	you manage to	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	alcanza a	he, she manages to
usted	alcanza a	you manage to	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	alcanzamos a	we manage to
vosotros, vosotras	alcanzáis a	you manage to	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	alcanzan a	they manage to
ustedes	alcanzan a	you manage to	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that alcanzar a, as in to manage, is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
No alcanzo a hacer todo. I can't manage to do everything.

Caer Bien

Caer bienis an -er verb phrase that means to like, to get along/on well with, or to get good vibes from.

The verb phrase caer bien is similar to gustar(to like).

With verbs like gustar, the subject of the sentence is the thing being liked, while the thing doing the liking is expressed via an indirect object.

Conjugation	Translation	Notes
me cae bien	I like
te cae bien	you like	informal singular you
te cae bien	you like	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
le cae bien	he, she likes
le cae bien	you like	formal singular you
nos cae bien	we like
os cae bien	you like	informal plural you (in Spain)
les cae bien	they like
les cae bien	you like	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

examples
Me cae bien Ana. I get along well with Ana.
Me caen bien Ana y Luis. I get on well with Ana and Luis.

Caer Mal

Caer malis an -er verb phrase that means to not like, to dislike, to rub the wrong way or to get bad vibes from.

Conjugation	Translation	Notes
me cae mal	I don’t like
te cae mal	you don’t like	informal singular you
te cae mal	you don’t like	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
le cae mal	he, she doesn’t like
le cae mal	you don’t like	formal singular you
nos cae mal	we don’t like
os cae mal	you don’t like	informal plural you (in Spain)
les cae mal	they don’t like
les cae mal	you don’t like	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

examples
Me cae mal Ana. Ana rubs me the wrong way.
Me caen mal Ana y Luis. Ana and Luis rub me the wrong way.

Verbs Like Gustar

When verbs phrases like gustar, such as caer bien and caer mal refer to plural nouns, they are conjugated in the third person plural and preceded by the appropriate pronoun. For example:

examples
Me cae bien Juan. I like Juan.
Me caen mal Ana y Luisa. I don't like Ana and Luisa.

Estar A Punto De

Estar a punto deis an -ar verb phrase with an irregular yo form that means to be about to.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	estoy a punto de	I am about to
tú	estás a punto de	you are about to	informal singular you
vos	estás a punto de	you are about to	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	está a punto de	he, she is about to
usted	está a punto de	you are about to	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	estamos a punto de	we are about to
vosotros, vosotras	estáis a punto de	you are about to	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	están a punto de	they are about to
ustedes	están a punto de	you are about to	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that most forms of estar in the present—except yo and nosotros—take an accent on the á.

Note that estar a punto de is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
Estoy a punto de llegar. I'm about to arrive.

Hablar De Uno Mismo

Hablar de uno mismois a regular -ar verb phrase that means to talk about oneself.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	hablo de mí mismo	I talk about myself
tú	hablas de ti mismo	you talk about yourself	informal singular you
vos	hablás de vos mismo	you talk about yourself	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	habla de sí mismo/sí misma	he, she talks about himself/herself
usted	habla de sí mismo	you talk about yourself	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	hablamos de nosotros mismos	we talk about ourselves
vosotros, vosotras	habláis de vosotros mismos	you talk about yourselves	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	hablan de sí mismos	they talk about themselves
ustedes	hablan de sí mismos	you talk about yourselves	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Tardar En

Tardar enis a regular -ar verb phrase that means to take (time).

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	tardo en	I take
tú	tardas en	you take	informal singular you
vos	tardás en	you take	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	tarda en	he, she takes
usted	tarda en	you take	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tardamos en	we take
vosotros, vosotras	tardáis en	you take	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tardan en	they take
ustedes	tardan en	you take	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that tardar en is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
Tardo en llegar más de una hora. It takes me an hour to arrive.

Tener Ganas De

Tener ganas de(to feel like) is a stem-changing verb with an irregular yo form.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	tengo ganas de	I feel like
tú	tienes ganas de	you feel like	informal singular you
vos	tenés ganas de	you feel like	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	tiene ganas de	he, she feels like
usted	tiene ganas de	you feel like	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tenemos ganas de	we feel like
vosotros, vosotras	tenéis ganas de	you feel like	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tienen ganas de	they feel like
ustedes	tienen ganas de	you feel like	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that tener ganas de is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
¿Tienes ganas de ir a la fiesta? Do you feel like going to the party?

Terminar De

Terminar deis a regular -ar verb phrase that means to finish.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	termino de	I finish
tú	terminas de	you finish	informal singular you
vos	terminás de	you finish	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	termina de	he, she finishes
usted	termina de	you finish	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	terminamos de	we finish
vosotros, vosotras	termináis de	you finish	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	terminan de	they finish
ustedes	terminan de	you finish	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that terminar de is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
Siempre termino de estudiar en la noche. I always finish studying at night.

Tratar De

Tratar deis a regular -ar verb phrase that means to try.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	trato de	I try
tú	tratas de	you try	informal singular you
vos	tratás de	you try	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	trata de	he, she tries
usted	trata de	you try	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tratamos de	we try
vosotros, vosotras	tratáis de	you try	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tratan de	they try
ustedes	tratan de	you try	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that tratar de is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
De acuerdo, trato de ir a la fiesta. OK, I'll try to go to the party.

Volver A

Volver a(to go back) is a stem-changing verb. That means that its "stem," vo, changes to vue in all forms except for the vos, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	vuelvo	I go back
tú	vuelves	you go back	informal singular you
vos	volvés	you go back	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	vuelve	he, she goes back
usted	vuelve	you go back	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	volvemos	we go back
vosotros, vosotras	volvéis	you go back	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	vuelven	they go back
ustedes	vuelven	you go back	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that volver a is followed by an infinitive verb.

examples
Vuelvo a trabajar esta semana. I go back to work this week.

Phrases

Here are some of the phrases used in these lessons!

Spanish	English
No tengo ganas.	I don't feel like it.
No tengo nada de tiempo.	I have no time at all.
Tengo mucho que hacer.	I have a lot to do.

Quiz Yourself!

Want more practice with the vocabulary you learned in these lessons? Click here!

Spanish Conversation

Fantastic! Let's put the grammar and vocab from above to the test in the following example of a conversation in Spanish.

Diego:

¡Hoy es la fiesta de Ana! ¿Tienes ganas de ir a la fiesta?

Today is Ana’s party! Do you feel like going to the party?

Soledad:

No tengo ganas, Diego. Ana no me cae bien.

I don’t feel like it, Diego. I don’t like Ana.

Diego:

¿Te cae mal mi compañera de casa? ¿Por qué?

You don’t like my housemate? Why?

Soledad:

Diego, para mí, Ana es mala onda. Es presumida y vanidosa. Nunca para de hablar de ella misma.

Diego, in my opinion, Ana is mean. She’s stuck-up and vain. She never stops talking about herself.

Diego:

Pero, Soledad, ¡Ana es buena onda!

But, Soledad, Ana is cool!

Soledad:

Encima, tengo mucho trabajo. Tengo mucho que hacer y no puedo perder tiempo.

On top of that, I have a lot of work. I have a lot to do, and I can’t waste time.

Want to learn more about how to make excuses in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• Planning a Party in Spanish

• How to Say "I'm Sorry" in Spanish

• How to Say "Excuse Me" in Spanish