Ways to Say "Sorry" in Spanish
Spanish splits "sorry" by situation: "lo siento" is the general, sincere apology, "perdón" is the quick everyday one, and "disculpe" is what you say to a stranger or to get someone's attention.
The most common way
A sincere, general apology or expression of sympathy — the default "I'm sorry" for something you did or something bad that happened.
How to say it: Say it as two crisp syllables with the stress on SIEN: "lo SIEN-to". Keep the "e" short, like in "ten", not a long "ay".
Other ways to say it
- casual
A quick, light apology — the reflex word when you bump into someone, interrupt, or arrive late. Also used to squeeze past people.
When to use it: Say it to anyone in small everyday mishaps, or to get past someone in a crowd; it is short and neutral in register.
- polite / formal
"Excuse me / I apologize" — polite and slightly distant. Used to address a stranger, a shop assistant or a waiter, or to apologize to someone you do not know.
When to use it: Use it with strangers, staff or older people, and whenever you need to politely get someone's attention.
- formal
"A thousand apologies" — a strong, earnest apology, common in emails, customer service and work situations.
When to use it: Say or write it to a client, colleague or someone you have inconvenienced, especially in professional or written Spanish.
- formal / sincere
"I regret it" — deeper and more formal than "lo siento"; used for real mistakes or to express sympathy for bad news.
When to use it: Use it for a serious error, bad news, or in formal writing where "lo siento" would feel too casual.
- direct / taking responsibility
"It was my fault" — owning the mistake outright rather than just apologizing; honest and slightly informal.
When to use it: Say it to friends, family or colleagues when you clearly caused the problem and want to admit it plainly.
In a conversation
- A
¡! , ¿ ?
Sorry! I didn't see you — are you okay?
- B
, .
Relax, it's nothing.
- A
, . .
Really, I'm sorry. I spilled coffee all over you.
- B
, .
Well, it was my fault for standing in the way.
Common mistakes
Lo siento, ¿me trae la carta?→ Disculpe, ¿me trae la carta?"Lo siento" only expresses regret; to address a waiter or stranger politely you need "disculpe" (or "perdón").
Disculpa me por el retraso.→ Discúlpame por el retraso.The pronoun attaches to the end of the imperative as one word, with a written accent: "discúlpame".
Lo siento para el retraso.→ Perdón por el retraso."Lo siento" is not followed by "para"; use "perdón por" or "siento" plus the noun, e.g. "siento el retraso".