01 · The apology itself
Lo siento.
I'm sorry.
This is the one that carries real feeling — reach for it when it actually matters, not for bumping someone's elbow on the metro.
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Apology Artist
Own the mistake, give one honest reason, offer a fix — out loud, without freezing.
A sincere Spanish apology is three short moves: the apology itself — lo siento or perdón — then ownership (fue mi culpa, me equivoqué), then a concrete next step (llego en diez minutos, te lo compenso). Match the register: disculpa with friends, disculpe with a stranger or your boss — and in Argentina you'll hear perdoná. The mistake that gives learners away isn't grammar, it's over-explaining: one line of reason, then straight to the remedy.
Below: the phrases for each of the three moves, what locals actually say when they mess up, the pitfalls — and a way to rehearse a real apology out loud before you need one.
The warm-up pack
The three moves that make an apology land — say it, own it, fix it — and how to say them back.
01 · The apology itself
Lo siento.
I'm sorry.
This is the one that carries real feeling — reach for it when it actually matters, not for bumping someone's elbow on the metro.
02 · The everyday one
Perdón.
Sorry / excuse me.
Your default for small slip-ups — running a minute late, interrupting, brushing past someone. Lighter than lo siento.
03 · Match the register
Disculpa.
Sorry, excuse me (to a friend). — Disculpe is the formal version, for a stranger or your boss.
Same word, different ending. Get it wrong with your boss and it reads as too familiar.
04 · Own it, don't dodge it
Fue mi culpa.
It was my fault. — In Mexico, friends often say la regué instead.
Direct ownership is what separates a real apology from a vague one. No passive "mistakes were made."
05 · Or say it plainly
Me equivoqué.
I made a mistake.
Just as direct as fue mi culpa — use whichever comes out first, they land the same way.
06 · The one-line reason
Perdón por llegar tarde. Hay mucho tráfico.
Sorry for being late. There's a lot of traffic.
One sentence of reason, then stop. Over-explaining is the tell that gives a nervous apology away.
07 · The honest excuse
Se me hizo tarde.
I lost track of time. — Ahí voy, ahí voy in Mexico is the classic line for buying time while you're still not there.
This isn't really a lie so much as a script — everyone recognizes it, and nobody minds.
08 · The concrete ETA
Llego en diez minutos.
I'll be there in ten minutes.
A real number beats a vague "I'm on my way" — it's the difference between reassurance and an empty promise.
09 · The fix you offer
Te lo compenso.
I'll make it up to you. — Yo pago la próxima (I'll pay next time) is the friendlier, more casual version.
Every apology needs a next step. This is the line that turns sorry into something you're actually doing about it.
10 · Offer to reschedule
¿Te parece otro día?
Would another day work?
Softer than asking outright to reschedule — it hands the choice back to them, which reads as respectful, not presumptuous.
11 · Close it warmly
Gracias por entender.
Thanks for understanding.
Ends the exchange on gratitude, not guilt. With close friends, pair it with te debo una — I owe you one.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/apology-artistRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina | Colombia |
|---|---|---|---|
| sorry (to a friend) | ay, perdón | perdoná | mil disculpas, mi pana |
| I messed up | la regué | la cagué (vulgar, friends only) | metí la pata |
| on my way (buying time) | ahí voy, ahí voy | estoy llegando | voy saliendo |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Apology Artist lessons, Isabella has been waiting for you at a neighborhood café — coffee finished, checking the time on her phone as you walk in. She's a close friend: warm but a bit frazzled, annoyed at first, easy to win over if the apology is real. You owe her three things, out loud: what happened (one line, not a saga), ownership — fue mi culpa — and a concrete way to make it up. And just when you've smoothed it over, she mentions she has to leave in twenty minutes, so now you're rescheduling too. She talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 4 lessons and Apology Artist is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Lo siento means I'm sorry and carries real feeling; perdón is the quick everyday one for small slip-ups; disculpa is sorry to someone you'd call tú, and disculpe is the formal version for a stranger or your boss.
Fue mi culpa — it was my fault — or me equivoqué, I made a mistake. Owning it directly lands far better than passive excuses, and you can close with no volverá a pasar — it won't happen again.
Perdón por llegar tarde — sorry for being late. Add one short reason (hay mucho tráfico, or se me hizo tarde — I lost track of time) and something concrete: llego en diez minutos. Reason, then remedy — don't over-explain.
Te lo compenso — I'll make it up to you — or the friendlier yo pago la próxima, I'll pay next time. To reschedule, ask ¿te parece otro día? and close warmly with gracias por entender.
In Mexico it's la regué, in Colombia metí la pata for a small social blunder, and among Argentine friends the blunter la cagué. With friends anywhere, te debo una — I owe you one — is a warm way to close the repair.