"Sorry" in Spanish

Quick Answer

The word sorry in Spanish can be translated several ways. As an adjective, sorry can be arrepentidoor lamentable. As an interjection, sorry can be lo siento, perdón, disculpa, or perdona. Read on to learn more about the contexts in which you’d use each translation of sorry in Spanish!

For some people, sorry can be hard to say—even more so when it’s in a different language! In this article, we’ll go over the principal translations of sorry in Spanish. Read on to learn more!

sorry

Sorry in Spanish: Interjection

Here are some of the most common ways to say sorry in Spanish. Note that these translations are used in different contexts. Be sure to pay attention to the second column of this list to know just when to use each statement!

Spanish	Used To...
disculpa	apologize (informal)
disculpe	apologize (formal)
lo siento	apologize
lo lamento	apologize
mande	ask someone to repeat what they said (formal; Ecuador, Mexico)
perdón	apologize or to ask someone to repeat what they said
perdona	express disagreement (informal)
perdone	express disagreement (formal)

It’s important to note that the previously cited phrases tend to be used in different situations. For example, if you accidentally bump into someone at the supermarket, you’d say perdón or disculpe. These two phrases are appropriate in situations that aren’t that serious.

When you really need to express you’re sorry for something, use lo siento or lo lamento. These phrases can be used in more serious situations.

Let’s take a look at how we can use these phrases in a sentence.

examples
Mi hijo le dio a su coche con el balón. Lo siento mucho. My son hit your car with his ball. I’m really sorry.
Perdone, pero discrepo con lo que usted acaba de decir. I’m sorry, but I disagree with what you just said.
¿Perdón? ¿Puedes repetir lo que acabas de decir? Hay mucho ruido aquí, y no entiendo lo que me has dicho. Sorry? Can you repeat what you just said? There’s so much noise here, and I don’t understand what you said to me.

Sorry in Spanish: Expressing Condolences

Maybe you came to this article looking to express your condolences in Spanish. We’re very sorry to hear that. Here are three phrases that you can use to express your condolences in Spanish.

Spanish	English
Lo acompaño en el sentimiento./La acompaño en el sentimiento.	I’m sorry for your loss.
Mi más sentido pésame.	My deepest sympathies.

Sorry in Spanish: Adjective

While we tend to think of sorry as an interjection, we can’t forget that it’s also an adjective! Sorry in Spanish can be arrepentidoif we’re talking about someone who is feeling sorry—or repentant—for something they did. Sorry can also be lamentablein Spanish when we’re talking about sorry as in deplorable.

examples
Carla está muy arrepentida de no haber estudiado más para el examen de matemáticas. Carla is really sorry that she didn’t study more for her math test.
La tormenta dejó el bosque en un estado lamentable. Había muchos árboles caídos debido al viento. The storm left the forest in a sorry state. There were a lot of trees that fell due to the wind.

Sorry in Spanish: Typical Phrases

Sorry can be used in many common phrases in Spanish. Let’s check out some of the most useful phrases that include sorry in Spanish.

Spanish	English
Disculpa por tardar en responder.	I’m sorry for the late reply.
Disculpe el retraso.	Sorry for the delay.
Lamentamos las molestias.	We’re sorry for the inconvenience.
Perdón, no fue mi intención…	I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…
Perdone, tengo el número equivocado.	Sorry, I have the wrong number.
Siento molestarle.	Sorry to bother you.

We’re sorry to say that this article has come to an end! Lamentamos las molestias, but we hope you’ll read some of the following articles to learn more useful vocabulary in Spanish.

Ready to learn more useful Spanish vocabulary? Check out these articles!