How to Say ‘Sorry I'm late.’ in Mexican Spanish
Perdón por llegar tarde.
pehr-DON pohr yeh-GAR tar-deh
[pehr-DON pohr yeh-GAR tar-deh]
🇲🇽 In Mexico: Being 10–15 minutes late to a casual meetup is common in Mexico, so a quick perdón plus a reason is usually all that's expected. For work or appointments, punctuality matters more.
Phrase Breakdown
Perdón
[pehr-DON]
excuse me / pardon
Used to get attention politely, apologize lightly, or ask someone to repeat something.
Perdón, ¿esta silla está ocupada?
Excuse me, is this seat taken?
por llegar tarde.
pohr yeh-GAR tar-deh
for arriving late.
Gives the reason for the apology. Say 'llegar' as 'ye-GAR'.
Lo siento por llegar tarde.
I'm sorry for arriving late.
Words in this phrase
por
[pohr]
for
A preposition meaning “for.”
Por su ayuda, terminé rápido.
Because of your help, I finished quickly.
llegar
[yeh-GAR]
to arrive
Infinitive verb meaning to reach a place.
Voy a llegar a las cinco.
I'm going to arrive at five.
tarde
[tar-deh]
Late
Refers to being after the expected or usual time.
Llegué tarde a la reunión.
I was late to the meeting.
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