Log inSign up

Perdón, señora.

Perdón, señora.
Sorry, ma'am.
From Lesson 5:Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Perdón, señora.

Since I am addressing her as señora, should I use tú or usted if I keep talking to her?
You should definitely use usted! Using a respectful title like señora (ma'am) sets a formal, polite tone. If you followed this up with a question, like "How are you?", you would use the formal ¿Cómo está? rather than the informal ¿Cómo estás?.
Could I say lo siento instead of perdón here?
Probably not in this context. Perdón is used for minor, everyday apologies, like bumping into someone, interrupting, or trying to get a stranger's attention (similar to "excuse me"). Lo siento literally means "I feel it" and is used to express deeper emotional regret or sympathy, like when you hear sad news.
When do I use señora instead of señorita?
Señora is used for married women or generally as a polite term of respect for an older woman. Señorita (miss) is used for younger, unmarried women. If you are ever unsure which one to use with an adult stranger, señora is the safest and most respectful choice.
Don't we usually put la before señora? Why is it missing here?
When you are talking about a woman, you use the article, like in the sentence la señora come manzanas (the lady eats apples). However, when you are talking directly to the person to get their attention, you drop the la.

Learn Perdón, señora and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →