What does it mean word for word?
Literally, perdón por la tardanza translates to "pardon for the lateness".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, you can use Disculpe la tardanza en la respuesta (Apologies for the delay in the response), Lamento la demora en contestar (I regret the delay in responding) or Le pido disculpas por la tardía respuesta (I apologize for the late response). In informal settings, you can use Perdón por la tardanza en responder (Sorry for the delay in responding), Disculpa por la demora en contestar (Apologies for the delay in responding), disculpa la demora (sorry for the delay) or Lo siento mucho por responder tan tarde (I'm really sorry for replying so late).
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing apologies for a delay, the correct preposition to use is por, as seen in the phrase por la tardanza.
How do you pronounce it?
/peɾdon poɾ la taɾdanθa/
Did you know?
- If you are very late to a meeting or a date, you might use perdón por la tardanza while arriving. In English, 'sorry for the late reply' is almost exclusively for written messages, but the Spanish equivalent works for physical arrival too.
- In some Latin American regions, a very informal way to acknowledge a late reply is to simply say mala mía, which literally means 'my bad'. This replaces the need for the formal structure of perdón por la tardanza.
- While English speakers might say 'sorry for the delay', Spanish uses tardanza or demora. These words are not interchangeable in all contexts, as demora often implies a technical or administrative hold-up.
Examples in context
- Perdón por la tardanza en responder.Sorry for the delay in responding.
- Perdón por la tardanza, tuve mucho trabajo.Sorry for the delay, I had a lot of work.
Example conversation
Sofía is responding to a text message from Alejandro about a meeting.
- SofíaHola Alejandro, perdón por la tardanza.Hi Alejandro, sorry for the delay.
- AlejandroNo te preocupes, Sofía. ¿Podemos vernos mañana?Don't worry, Sofía. Can we meet tomorrow?
- SofíaSí, mañana a las diez está bien.Yes, tomorrow at ten is fine.
- AlejandroPerfecto, nos vemos entonces.Perfect, see you then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
