After a number of years living in the U.S., I dare to say that Americans apologize more often than Spaniards do. In the U.S., for example, people apologize all the time and with a lot of intensity for physical contact. In a crowded subway car in New York City you apologize, just in case, if you think that you have touched somebody else’s shoe, even if you’re not sure. In Spain we do apologize, but less.
I have chosen some basic expressions to apologize and to accept the apology that you might hear more or less frequently depending on where you are.
I’M SORRY! & EXCUSE ME!
The following expressions can be used to express both, I’m sorry! and Excuse me!
- ¡Disculpa (tú) / Disculpad (vosotros) / Disculpe (usted) / Disculpen (ustedes)! Since disculpar is a verb, you need to conjugate it.
- ¡Perdón! It is a noun; it literally means forgiveness.
- ¡Perdona (tú) / perdonad (vosotros) / perdone (usted) / perdonen (ustedes)! Also a verb, perdonar, that’s why you need to conjugate it. The pronoun me can be added to emphasizes who is apologizing = ¡Perdóname!
- ¡Lo siento (mucho / muchísimo)! From my experience ¡Lo siento! leans more towards the side of I’m sorry! than Excuse me!, but it depends on the language usage. You know how creative we speakers can get.
IT´S OK!
In order to kindly receive the apology, you can say any of the next:
- ¡Vale, no pasa nada! = It’s ok, no big deal (lit., nothing happens)! ¡Vale! is an all time favorite in Spain.
- ¡Bueno, no te preocupes (tú) / se preocupe (usted)! = Fine, don’t worry!
- ¡Nada, no pasa nada! = It’s nothing!
Now you have no excuse not to be super amable (super polite) also in Spanish.