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apology and Spanish apología
In English
apology
an expression of regret for doing something wrong
In Spanish
apología
defensa, elogio
Spanish "apología" means: defense / praise
Why they get mixed up In Greek, "apología" was an intellectual defense of one's own ideas, like Socrates' Apology. Spanish kept that formal, rhetorical sense. English "apology" drifted toward saying sorry and expressing regret.
If you want to say...
- apologydisculpa
- defense or praiseapología
- to apologizedisculparse o pedir perdón
Examples
He owes me an apology.
Me debe una disculpa.
She made a sincere apology.
Ofreció una disculpa sincera.
I owe you an apology for being late.
Te debo una disculpa por llegar tarde.
She accepted his apology with a smile.
Ella aceptó sus disculpas con una sonrisa.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Hizo una apología por llegar tarde.
Correct: Pidió disculpas por llegar tarde.
Apología in Spanish is a defense or praise, not saying sorry.
Incorrect: Le debo una apología a mi amiga.
Correct: Le debo una disculpa a mi amiga.
To say sorry use disculpa or "pedir perdón".
Phrases you will hear
- a sincere apologyuna disculpa sincera
- make an apologypedir disculpas
- accept an apologyaceptar una disculpa
- owe someone an apologydeberle una disculpa a alguien
- a written apologyuna disculpa por escrito
- an apology for the delayuna disculpa por el retraso
In a conversation
- A:
I owe you an apology for yesterday.
Te debo una disculpa por lo de ayer.
- B:
It's okay. Thanks for saying it.
No pasa nada. Gracias por decirlo.
- A:
I'm really sorry for shouting.
Lamento mucho haber gritado.
- B:
I accept your apology.
Acepto tus disculpas.
Test yourself
"I owe you an apology" means...
To remember it
Apology = saying sorry. A formal defense or praise (Spanish "apología") = defense/praise.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "apología" mean?
Spanish "apología" means "defense / praise". It looks like the English "apology", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "apology" means "an expression of regret for doing something wrong".
Does English "apology" mean the same as Spanish "apología"?
In Greek, "apología" was an intellectual defense of one's own ideas, like Socrates' Apology. Spanish kept that formal, rhetorical sense. English "apology" drifted toward saying sorry and expressing regret.