perdón
/peɾˈdon/
In Spanish, "I beg your pardon" is translated as perdón.
The word perdón is used both to apologize for a mistake and to ask someone to repeat themselves, similar to 'pardon' in English.
Meaning: Translations (phrase)
Which one should you use?
Perdón is used for minor social slips or asking for repetition, whereas lo siento is used to express genuine empathy or regret for a more serious situation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite and formal way to say "excuse me" when trying to get someone's attention or apologizing for a minor interruption, use disculpe. If you need to ask for forgiveness formally, you can use perdóneme or le ruego que me perdone (I beg you to forgive me). Among friends and family, the informal version perdóname is used instead of the formal perdóneme.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word perdón is a noun meaning "pardon" or "forgiveness", but it is frequently used as an interjection on its own.
How do you pronounce it?
/peɾˈdon/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word perdón shares a distant root with the English word 'donation'. Both originate from the Latin dōnō, meaning 'to give'.
- Repeating perdón rapidly during a heated argument can shift the meaning from a polite apology to a sarcastic challenge of the other person's words.
- In a legal context, un perdón judicial refers to a formal state pardon, which is a vastly different application than the daily social interjection.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, ¿puede ayudarme con esta pregunta?Excuse me, can you help me with this question?
- Perdóneme por el error que cometí.Please forgive me for the mistake I made.
- Le ruego que me perdone por mi comportamiento inapropiado.I beg you to forgive me for my inappropriate behavior.
- ¿Perdón?Pardon?
- Perdón, ¿podría repetir eso?I beg your pardon, could you repeat that?
- ¡Perdón! No te vi.Pardon me! I didn't see you.
- Lo siento, perdón por el retraso.I'm sorry, pardon my lateness.
Example conversation
Daniel accidentally bumps into María in a hallway.
- Daniel¡Perdón, María! No fue mi intención.Pardon me, María! It wasn't my intention.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, Daniel.Don't worry, Daniel.
- Daniel¿Estás bien?Are you okay?
- MaríaSí, estoy bien, gracias.Yes, I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry perdón, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries perdón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
