Lo siento mucho
/lo sjento mut͡ʃo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase to say "I am very sorry" is Lo siento mucho.
In more formal settings, you might use other phrases to specify your apology: Disculpe las molestias for apologizing for an inconvenience, Lamento mucho lo sucedido to express deep regret for what happened, Le pido disculpas to ask for forgiveness, Siento mucho las molestias to apologize for an inconvenience or Siento mucho el error cometido to apologize for a mistake made.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I feel it much", where lo means "it", siento means "I feel" and mucho means "much/a lot".
Which one should you use?
While Lo siento means "I am sorry", use Lo siento mucho to express a higher degree of regret or empathy than the standard form. For minor social blunders, such as bumping into someone, the word Perdón is often more natural than Lo siento mucho.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to translate "I am" directly into the phrase by saying Estoy muy lo siento. Instead, use the fixed idiomatic expression Lo siento mucho, which does not use the verb "to be".
Did you know?
- The word mucho evolved from the Latin multus, which traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'crumbled' or 'crumpled'.
- While 'much' in English and mucho in Spanish look similar, they are not actually related linguistically.
- Using Lamento mucho lo sucedido shifts the focus of the apology to the event itself rather than the speaker's personal guilt.
Examples in context
- Lo siento mucho, no fue mi intención.I am very sorry, it was not my intention.
- Lo siento mucho por el retraso.I am very sorry for the delay.
- Lo siento mucho, de verdad.I am very sorry, truly.
Example conversation
Alejandro accidentally broke a vase at Lucía's house.
- Lucía¡Oh no! ¿Estás bien, Alejandro?Oh no! Are you okay, Alejandro?
- AlejandroSí, pero lo siento mucho, Lucía. El jarrón se rompió.Yes, but I am very sorry, Lucía. The vase broke.
- LucíaNo te preocupes, no es grave.Don't worry, it is not a big deal.
- AlejandroAun así, lo siento mucho.Even so, I am very sorry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, mucho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
