Breakdown of Perdón por llegar tarde; había mucho tráfico.
mucho
a lot
tarde
late
;
semicolon
llegar
to arrive
Questions & Answers about Perdón por llegar tarde; había mucho tráfico.
Why is it Perdón and not Lo siento here?
Both can be used to apologize, but they are not exactly the same.
- Perdón is very common for a direct apology, especially for something practical or immediate.
- Lo siento can sound a bit more emotional or heartfelt.
In Perdón por llegar tarde, the speaker is simply apologizing for being late, so Perdón sounds very natural.
You could also say:
- Perdón por llegar tarde.
- Lo siento por llegar tarde.
Both are correct, but Perdón is especially common in everyday speech.
Why do we use por in Perdón por llegar tarde?
After perdón, Spanish often uses por to mean for when giving the reason for the apology.
So:
- Perdón por llegar tarde = Sorry for arriving late / Sorry for being late
This pattern is very common:
- Perdón por interrumpir. = Sorry for interrupting.
- Gracias por venir. = Thanks for coming.
So por + infinitive is a very useful structure to learn.
Why is it llegar tarde and not something like ser tarde?