For formal condolences, use the set phrases:Mi más sentido pésame. My deepest sympathies.
OrLo(le)/la acompaño
en el sentimiento. I share your grief.63.1.2 ¡Qué pena/lástima que+ subjunctive!
This is the most common way of saying one is sorry about something while at the same
time referring to the event which brings forth that sympathy. This may be some present
or future state or event, in which case the verb in the subordinate clause normally takes
the present subjunctive; but it may be something in the past, in which case we would
use the perfect or imperfect subjunctive. 16.1.1.3 (p. 61); 16.1.1.7 (p. 62); 18.1.4 (p. 85)
¡Qué lástima/pena que no te sientas bien!
What a pity you are not feeling well!¡Qué lástima/pena que deba usted marcharse mañana!
What a pity you’ll have to leave tomorrow.¡Qué lástima/pena que Vd. no haya venido a nuestra fiesta!
What a pity you didn’t come to our party!¡Qué lástima/pena que perdierais el partido!
What a pity you lost the game!Lástima is sometimes used without the preceding qué, to convey sympathy in a more
colloquial and informal way:¡Lástima que no lo hayas podido comprar!
I’m sorry you weren’t able to buy it.A slightly less frequent alternative to this construction with¡Qué lástima/pena
que...! is¡Es/fue una lástima/pena que... !, ‘It is/was a pity that... !’¡Es una lástima/pena que no hayas conseguido ese puesto!
It’s a pity you didn’t get that job!¡Fue una lástima/pena que les pasara eso!
It was a pity what happened to them.63.1.3 Siento/sentimos mucho+ noun phrase
Sentir, ‘to regret’, a radical-changing verb (e/ie), is the verb most commonly used
when we want to say that we are sorry about something. Note that the lo of the
set phrase¡Lo siento!, ‘I’m sorry!’ (about it), literally ‘I regret it’, is not required in
this case.Siento mucho la muerte de tu tía.
I’m so sorry about your aunt’s death.Sentimos mucho tu accidente.
We’re (so) sorry about your accident.Saying one is sorry about something 63.1