One of the small things that I like about Spanish is the nuance you have when making apologies.
At home in Canada, people say sorry for everything.
Bump into someone; sorry.
Need to squeeze around someone; sorry.
Someone’s dog died; sorry.
You failed to do something you said you would do; sorry.
In the US, excuse me is much more common for the first and second scenario, but in English generally we assign lots of different meanings to sorry. In Mexico, it is wonderful to see the range of options for these different situations in the Spanish language.
Bump into someone; disculpe.
Need to squeeze around someone; con permiso.
Someone’s dog died; lo siento.
You failed to do something you said you would do; perdoname.
For years it bothered me when people would say “I’m sorry” when something bad was happening. It is apologizing for something they have no responsibility for. Clearly, they aren’t actually apologizing, they are trying to let you know they empathize, but there isn’t a good common way of saying that, so they say sorry.
When you first learn Spanish in school, they teach you that lo siento is sorry, but it is actually specifically for empathizing with others. Directly translated it means “I feel it”. It is letting someone know that you feel their pain, without apologizing or taking responsibility.
Having more words is not always better, but having the nuance in “apologies” that exist in Spanish does make a noticeable difference in making social interactions run smoothly.
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