culpa mía
/kulpa mia/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "my fault" is translated as culpa mía.
The phrase is used to accept responsibility for a mistake or an error. Depending on the context and region, other phrases may be more appropriate, such as the formal Reconozco mi error to emphasize that you recognize your mistake or the informal La pifié to say "My bad" in certain areas.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun culpa (fault/guilt) and the possessive pronoun mía (mine).
Which one should you use?
While es mi culpa uses the possessive adjective mi (my), the phrase es culpa mía uses the possessive pronoun mía (mine). Both are common, but culpa mía often places more emphasis on the speaker's responsibility.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, one might use the informal expression La pifié to admit making a mistake. In Mexico and certain other Latin American countries, the phrase mi culpa is commonly used to express personal responsibility. In Spain, it is common to hear the phrase mea culpa to accept responsibility.
Did you know?
- The word culpa was a learned borrowing from Latin, replacing an older version of the word that was spelled colpa in Old Spanish.
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, mi culpa echoes the structure of the 'Confiteor', a traditional prayer of confession in the Catholic Church.
- The word culpa shares a root with the English word 'culpable', which describes someone who is deserving of blame.
Examples in context
- No es culpa mía.It's not my fault.This sentence is useful for saying it is not my fault using culpa mía.Tatoeba #536572 by Shishir, translation #321324 by CK
- ¡No es culpa mía!It's not my fault!This sentence is useful for emphasizing that it is not my fault using culpa mía.Tatoeba #2834 by Shishir, translation #1659 by brauliobezerra
- Todo es culpa mía.It's all my fault.This sentence is useful for saying everything is my fault using culpa mía.Tatoeba #1415594 by marcelostockle, translation #707265 by CK
- Tengo la culpa, me disculpo por el retrasoI'm at fault, I apologize for the delay
- Fue mi culpa, lo sientoIt was my fault, I'm sorry
- La pifié, perdón, no volverá a sucederMy bad, sorry, it won't happen again
- Ups, culpa mía, lo siento muchoOops, my fault, I'm really sorry
- Fue mi culpa, te ofrezco una disculpa sinceraIt was my fault, I offer you a sincere apology
- Lamentablemente, es culpa mía que el informe no esté listo.Unfortunately, it's my fault that the report isn't ready.
- Fue mi culpa que nos perdiéramos en el camino hacia el concierto.It was my fault that we got lost on the way to the concert.
- Tengo la culpa de no haber cumplido con el plazo establecido.I'm at fault for not meeting the established deadline.
- La pifié al mezclar los ingredientes de la receta.I messed up when mixing the ingredients for the recipe.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are in the kitchen and a glass breaks.
- Mateo¿Qué pasó con el vaso, Mateo?What happened with the glass, Mateo?
- MaríaLo siento, fue culpa mía.I'm sorry, it was my fault.
- MateoNo te preocupes, María.Don't worry, María.
- MaríaGracias por entender.Thanks for understanding.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries culpa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
