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Please, thank you, sorry

Spanish has two everyday ways to say sorry: perdón for small slips and lo siento for real regret.

A handful of polite words will carry you through shops, buses and cafés. The Instituto Cervantes places them among the first things a beginner learns to do in Spanish: thank someone, answer thanks, and apologise. They are short, but using the right one in the right place makes a strong impression.

Please and thank you

Por favor (please) goes at the start or the end of a request: Un café, por favor. Gracias is thank you, and muchas gracias is thank you very much. The standard reply is de nada (you are welcome, literally of nothing). You will also hear no hay de qué (there is nothing to thank me for). Gracias also makes a polite refusal: No, gracias.

Sorry and excuse me

Perdón is a quick sorry for a small slip, such as bumping into someone. Perdona (with tú) and perdone (with usted) do the same job and also serve to get attention: Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación? (Excuse me, where is the station?). Disculpa and disculpe work the same way. Notice the pattern: the form ending in a goes with tú, the form ending in e with usted.

Lo siento is for real regret: arriving late, bad news, turning down a request. Lo siento mucho (I am very sorry) is stronger, and the Instituto Cervantes lists lo siento as the basic way to offer condolences too. To apologise for something specific, use siento plus a verb: Siento llegar tarde (sorry I am late).

Con permiso (with permission) is what you say to get past someone in a crowded aisle, or when leaving a table or a room.

BackgroundThese phrases make sense once you translate them word by word. Gracias comes from Latin gratias, thanks or favours. De nada says the favour was nothing. Lo siento literally means I feel it, which is why it fits sympathy as well as apology. Perdón comes from perdonar, to forgive, so perdone is literally forgive me. In Spain you will often hear vale (OK) as a quick answer to an apology, and the Instituto Cervantes lists it as exactly that.

Asking politely in shops

Requests in shops and cafés are often phrased as questions: ¿Me da un café, por favor? (could you give me a coffee, please?). In Spain you will also hear ¿Me pone dos cafés? in bars. Quisiera (I would like) is a gentler alternative to quiero (I want): Quisiera una mesa para dos (I would like a table for two).

In the Spain recording, gracias sounds like GRAH-thyahs. In Latin America it is GRAH-syahs. Both are correct.
The grey hints under each line are rough English respellings, with the stressed syllable in capitals. Treat them as a first guess and copy the recording, which uses a voice from Spain.
  • Un café, por favor. · A coffee, please.
  • Muchas gracias. · Thank you very much.
  • De nada. · You are welcome.
  • ¡Ay, perdón! · Oops, sorry!
  • Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación? · Excuse me, where is the station?
  • Lo siento mucho. · I am very sorry.
  • Siento llegar tarde. · Sorry I am late.
  • Con permiso. · Excuse me. (to get past)
por favorplease
graciasthank you
muchas graciasthank you very much
de nadayou are welcome
no hay de quédo not mention it
perdónsorry (small slip)
perdonasorry, excuse me (tú)
perdonesorry, excuse me (usted)
disculpeexcuse me (usted)
lo sientoI am sorry
con permisoexcuse me (to get past)
valeOK (Spain)

Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación? Está allí, a la derecha. Muchas gracias. De nada. ¡Ay, perdón! Lo siento. Vale, no pasa nada.

  1. How do you say please?
    • por favor
    • de nada
    • perdón
  2. What is the standard reply to gracias?
    • de nada
    • lo siento
    • hasta luego
  3. You bump into someone on the street. What do you say?
    • ¡Perdón!
    • Lo siento mucho, es una mala noticia.
    • De nada.
  4. You arrive 30 minutes late to a meeting. What fits best?
    • Siento llegar tarde.
    • Con permiso.
    • Por favor.
  5. How do you get an older stranger’s attention politely?
    • Perdone...
    • Perdona...
    • Oye...
  6. Which form goes with tú?
    • perdona
    • perdone
    • disculpe
  7. Word for word, lo siento means…
    • I feel it
    • I forgive it
    • I see it
  8. When do you say con permiso?
    • To get past someone or leave a room
    • To order food
    • To answer the phone
  9. Type thank you very much in Spanish.
  10. What does Siento llegar tarde mean?
    • Sorry I am late
    • I feel tired
    • See you this afternoon
  11. In Spain, what does vale mean as a reply?
    • OK
    • Goodbye
    • Never
Key points
  • Por favor, gracias, de nada.
  • Perdón for slips; perdona (tú) / perdone (usted) also mean excuse me.
  • Lo siento for real regret; con permiso to get past.