perdón por molestarte
/peɾdon poɾ molestaɾte/from spelling rules
The English phrase "sorry for bothering you" is translated into Spanish as perdón por molestarte.
This is a polite expression used to apologize for interrupting someone or causing them an inconvenience. You can also use the phrase perdón por la molestia if you wish to apologize for the inconvenience itself rather than the specific act of bothering someone.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of perdón (pardon/forgiveness), por (for), molestar (to bother) and the enclitic pronoun -te (you).
Which one should you use?
While perdón por molestarte is a standard apology, you might use disculpa por molestarte to say "excuse me for bothering you" when addressing a friend or peer in a more casual way.
How does it change in a sentence?
To apologize to a group of people, replace the singular pronoun -te or -le with the plural -los (masculine/mixed) or -las (feminine), such as in perdón por molestarlos.
How do you pronounce it?
/peɾdon poɾ molestaɾte/
Did you know?
- While 'molestar' means 'to bother' in Spanish, it does not carry the same heavy sexual connotation that 'molest' carries in English. In Spanish, it is used frequently and innocently to describe any minor annoyance or interruption.
- The word perdón shares an ancient lineage with the English word 'donate', as both stem from roots meaning 'to give' or 'to bestow'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying perdón can be a way to physically navigate through a crowd. If you need to pass someone in a narrow aisle, a quick perdón acts as a polite 'excuse me' to clear the way.
Examples in context
- Perdón por molestarte, ¿tienes un minuto?Sorry for bothering you, do you have a minute?
- Perdón por molestarte con esta pregunta.Sorry for bothering you with this question.
- Te pido perdón por molestarte de nuevo.I apologize to you for bothering you again.
Example conversation
Javier approaches Lucía at her desk to ask a quick question.
- JavierPerdón por molestarte, Lucía.Sorry for bothering you, Lucía.
- LucíaNo pasa nada, Javier. ¿Qué necesitas?It's no problem, Javier. What do you need?
- Javier¿Sabes dónde está la llave?Do you know where the key is?
- LucíaSí, está en el cajón.Yes, it is in the drawer.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries perdón, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
