perdón, no escuché tu llamada
The English phrase "sorry I missed your call" is translated into Spanish as perdón, no escuché tu llamada.
This apology is used when someone did not hear the phone ringing or notice a call. You can also use the alternative perdón por no contestar, which focuses on the failure to answer rather than the failure to hear the ring.
Did you know?
- In some regions, instead of saying they did not hear the call, people might say no me pilló el teléfono, which literally means the phone did not 'catch' or 'trap' them.
- The word perdón shares a root with the English word 'donate' via the Latin dōnō, meaning to give. Historically, to forgive someone was viewed as giving them a gift by releasing them from a debt.
- In some digital contexts across Latin America, people might say se me pasó tu llamada instead of 'no la escuché', which literally translates to 'your call passed me by'.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! Me llamaste, pero no pude contestar. ¿En qué puedo ayudarte?Hey! You called me, but I couldn't answer. How can I help you?
- Perdón, no escuché tu llamada porque estaba trabajando.Sorry, I missed your call because I was working.
- Perdón, no escuché tu llamada, mi móvil estaba en silencio.Sorry, I missed your call, my phone was on silent.
- Perdón, no escuché tu llamada, estaba en la ducha.Sorry, I missed your call, I was in the shower.
Example conversation
Mateo calls María back after seeing a missed call on her phone.
- MateoHola María, perdón, no escuché tu llamada.Hello María, sorry, I missed your call.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, Mateo, ¿estás libre ahora?Don't worry, Mateo, are you free now?
- MateoSí, dime, ¿qué pasó?Yes, tell me, what happened?
- MaríaSolo quería saber si íbamos a cenar.I just wanted to know if we were going to dinner.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries no, perdón, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
