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Mi dispiace per il ritardo.

Mi dispiace per il ritardo.
I'm sorry about the delay.
From Lesson 64:Expressing preferences (mi piace)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Mi dispiace per il ritardo.

Is "mi dispiace" related to the verb "piacere"?
Yes! The verb dispiacere is just piacere with the prefix dis- (which makes it negative). Just like mi piace literally means "it is pleasing to me" (I like it), mi dispiace literally means "it is displeasing to me". This is the standard way Italians say "I'm sorry".
If it works like "mi piace", do I need to change it to "mi dispiacciono" if I am sorry about multiple things?
Structurally, yes, you can say mi dispiacciono when multiple specific things displease you. However, when used as a standard apology ("I'm sorry"), Italians almost always treat the situation as a single abstract concept and keep it in the singular: mi dispiace.
Why do we use "per" here instead of "su" or "di"?
In Italian, per is used to express the reason or cause of your apology. While in English we might say "I'm sorry about the delay," Italians say they are sorry for it (per il ritardo). You can use mi dispiace per before almost any noun to apologize for it.
Can I use "il ritardo" to talk about late trains or flights, too?
Absolutely. Il ritardo means "the delay" or "lateness". You can use it to apologize for your own lateness, as in this sentence, or for public transport. For example, to say "The train is late," you would say Il treno è in ritardo.

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