64 Apologizing and expressing forgiveness
By and large, apologies are much less common in Spanish than in English, just as
por favor, ‘please’, and gracias, ‘thank you’, are much less common. Bumping into
someone accidentally in the street, for instance, does not always meet with an apology
in Spanish, as it would in English, and this is not necessarily regarded as rude. Likewise,
expressions for granting forgiveness also seem to be used less frequently in Spanish.
When apologizing, set phrases, the equivalent of English expressions such as ‘Sorry!’,
‘I’m so sorry!’, are much more common than more complex constructions which
actually specify the reason for the apology. This chapter examines set phrases first,
and then expressions which vary depending on the situation.64.1 Apologizing
64.1.1 Set phrases
Perdón.
Sorry.
Perdone usted/perdona.
I’m sorry. (pol./fam.)
Perdóneme usted/perdóname.
I’m sorry. (pol./fam.)
Disculpe usted/disculpa.
I’m sorry. (pol./fam.)
Lo siento/lamento (mucho).
I’m (very) sorry.
Lo siento/lamento muchísimo.
I’m extremely sorry.
16.1.1.6 (p. 62)64.1.2 Set phrase + excuse/reason for the apology
These set phrases are often found followed by a sentence expressing an excuse or
giving the actual reason for the apology. This sentence is often introduced by the
word pero, ‘but’.