How to Say "My Fault" in Italian

colpa mia

The Italian phrase for "my fault" is colpa mia.

colpa mia is used to accept responsibility for a mistake or a problem.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the noun colpa (fault/guilt) and the possessive adjective mia (my/mine), literally translating to "fault mine".

While colpa mia implies moral responsibility or blame for a mistake, the phrase errore mio refers more strictly to a technical or factual mistake.

When saying "it is my fault", you can simply say è colpa mia because the subject "it" is often omitted in Italian, rather than saying è la colpa mia.

The word colpa is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'collapse', as both share a root meaning 'to fall' or 'to bend'.
The word colpa can also be used in religious contexts to refer to 'sin', making the phrase colpa mia carry a heavier, more spiritual weight than 'my mistake'.
The phrase colpa mia is often used in casual conversation as a way to end an argument quickly, even if the speaker does not fully agree they are to blame.

Non è colpa mia!
It's not my fault!
This sentence is useful for expressing denial of responsibility using colpa mia.
Tatoeba #4430 by Pharamp, translation #1659 by brauliobezerra
Non è colpa mia.
It's not my fault.
Tatoeba #707230 by Guybrush88, translation #321324 by CK
Non era colpa mia.
It wasn't my fault.
Tatoeba #851671 by Guybrush88, translation #1064331 by CK
Non è colpa tua!
It's not your fault!
Scusami, è stata la mia colpa!
Sorry, it was my fault!
È veramente colpa mia, mi dispiace.
It really is my fault, I'm sorry.
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