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How to Say ‘Sorry I'm late.’ in Portuguese

Desculpa o atraso.

desh-KOOL-pah oo ah-TRAH-zoo

[desh-KOOL-pah oo ah-TRAH-zoo]

💬 Usage Tip: Desculpa is the casual form for someone you'd call tu; with a stranger or someone older you'd say Desculpe. Swap the ending: Desculpa o atraso to a date, Desculpe o atraso to a client.

Phrase Breakdown

Desculpa

[desh-KOOL-pah]

sorry

Informal way to apologize, from 'desculpar'.

Example

Desculpa o barulho.

Sorry for the noise.

o

[oo]

the

A masculine singular definite article used before nouns.

Example

O prazer de participar foi grande.

The pleasure of taking part was great.

atraso

[ah-TRAH-zoo]

delay / lateness

Masculine noun meaning a delay or being late.

Example

O comboio tem um atraso.

The train has a delay.

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