Basic expressions: Greeting someone and apologizing for being late
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Key Phrases
Perdón por llegar tarde.
Sorry for being late.
Gracias por esperar.
Thanks for waiting.
¿Cómo está tu familia?
How is your family?
Skills You'll Learn
Apologizing politely in everyday conversations
Pedir disculpas educadamente en conversaciones cotidianas
Expressing thanks and reassuring someone
Dar las gracias y tranquilizar a alguien
Asking about family and responding naturally
Preguntar por la familia y responder con naturalidad
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are meeting María in Spain for a friendly conversation, apologizing for arriving late, thanking her for waiting, and asking about each other’s families.
Hola, María.
Hello, Maria.
Hola, Emily . ¿Qué tal?
Hello, Emily. How are you?
Perdón por llegar tarde.
Sorry for being late.
No pasa nada.
No problem.
Gracias por esperar.
Thanks for waiting.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Hola.
OH-lah
Hello.
Hola, Emily Smith .
OH-lah
Hello, Emily Smith.
¿Qué tal?
keh tahl
How are you?
🇪🇸 In Spain, [¿Qué tal?] is a very normal casual greeting, often closer to "hi, how's it going?" than a real request for details. A short answer like [bien] or [muy bien] is enough.
See breakdown →Perdón.
pehr-DON
Sorry.
💬 [Perdón] works on its own as a quick apology, like [Lo siento] but lighter in everyday moments. You can reuse it before [por] + action: [Perdón por llamar tan tarde].
See breakdown →Por llegar
por yeh-GAHR
For arriving
💬 After [por], Spanish often uses the basic verb form: [por llegar], [por esperar], [por venir]. It works like "for arriving / for waiting / for coming."
See breakdown →Tarde
TAR-deh
Late
Por llegar tarde
por yeh-GAHR TAR-deh
For being late
💬 After [por], Spanish uses the basic verb form: [por llegar tarde], [por esperar]. This is a handy pattern for apologizing or thanking: [Gracias por venir].
See breakdown →Perdón por llegar tarde.
pehr-DON por yeh-GAHR TAR-deh
Sorry for being late.
No pasa nada.
noh PAH-sah NAH-dah
No problem.
🇪🇸 This is a very common reassuring reply in Spain after a small apology, like being a bit late. It usually sounds warmer and more everyday than a more literal [No hay problema].
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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