Learn Spanish (Spain): Lo siento mucho.

Lo siento mucho.

I'm very sorry.

Breakdown of Lo siento mucho.

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Questions & Answers about Lo siento mucho.

Why does siento mean "sorry" here? Doesn't it mean "to feel"?

You are exactly right! The verb sentir usually means "to feel." When you say lo siento, you are literally saying "I feel it." In Spanish, this is the standard way to express regret or say "I am sorry."

What is the lo doing at the beginning of the sentence?

Lo means "it." In Spanish, little words like "it" (direct object pronouns) usually go right before the conjugated verb. So instead of saying "I feel it" like we do in English, you say "It I feel" (lo siento).

Where is the word for "I" (yo) in this sentence?

The "I" is built right into the verb! Siento is the "I" form of the verb sentir. You could say yo lo siento, but Spanish speakers usually drop the yo (I) because the "-o" ending of siento already makes it perfectly clear who is doing the feeling.

Why do we use mucho instead of muy for "very"?

We use muy (very) to describe adjectives, like muy alto (very tall). But here, we are describing how much you are doing an action (the verb siento). When describing a verb, you must use mucho (a lot / much). So literally, you are saying "I feel it a lot."