How do you say "Sorry for being late." in Mexican Spanish?

"Sorry for being late." in Mexican Spanish is "Perdón por llegar tarde.". This phrase is commonly used in Mexico.

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How to Say ‘Sorry for being late.’ in Mexican Spanish

Q: What does "Perdón por llegar tarde." mean in English?

"Perdón por llegar tarde." means "Sorry for being late." in English. Usage tip: After [por], Spanish often uses the basic verb form: [por llegar tarde], [por esperar], [por venir]. Use this pattern to add the reason: [Perdón por + verb].

Perdón por llegar tarde.

pehr-DOHN pohr yeh-GAHR TAR-deh

[pehr-DOHN pohr yeh-GAHR TAR-deh]

💬 Usage Tip: After [por], Spanish often uses the basic verb form: [por llegar tarde], [por esperar], [por venir]. Use this pattern to add the reason: [Perdón por + verb].

Phrase Breakdown

Perdón

[pehr-DOHN]

sorry

Used to apologize at the start of the sentence.

Example

Perdón por llegar tarde al trabajo.

Sorry for arriving late to work.

Por llegar tarde

pohr yeh-GAHR TAR-deh

For arriving late

The phrase explains the reason for the apology; 'por' means 'for' and 'llegar tarde' means 'to arrive late.'

Example

Gracias por llegar temprano.

Thanks for arriving early.

Words in this phrase

por

[pohr]

for

Introduces the reason for the apology.

Example

Perdón por no llamar.

Sorry for not calling.

llegar

[yeh-GAHR]

arriving

From 'llegar,' meaning 'to arrive'; here it explains what the speaker is apologizing for.

Example

Perdón por llegar después de todos.

Sorry for arriving after everyone.

tarde

[TAR-deh]

late

Means not being on time.

Example

Perdón por llegar tarde hoy.

Sorry for arriving late today.

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