What is the difference between “desculpe” (sorry) and “desculpa” (sorry)? And when do we say “desculpe” (I’m sorry) or “sinto muito” (I’m sorry)? How do you apologize in Portuguese?
There are many ways to apologize in Portuguese.
In this lesson, I’m going to answer some common questions about this topic and I’m going to give many examples so you understand how Brazilians express themselves in different situations.
👉 This lesson includes a free support material with the summary of the lesson and many examples in sentences. Click here to download your free worksheet.
When should we say “desculpa” or “desculpe”?
These two words are very commonly used and have exactly the same meaning. “Desculpa” and “desculpe” are forms of the verb “desculpar” in the imperative mood:
Desculpa tu
Desculpe você
In practice, there is no difference in meaning, but there are regional preferences. Some people will say that “desculpa” is more informal than “desculpe,” but this does not apply to all regions of Brazil. I use these two words interchangeably. For example:
Desculpa o atraso. (Sorry for the delay.)
Desculpe a bagunça. (Sorry about the mess.)
When should we say “desculpe” or “sinto muito”?
These two expressions can be translated into English as “sorry” or “I’m sorry,” but in Brazil, “desculpe” and “sinto muito” have very distinct uses.
We use “sinto muito” to express empathy or condolences when something bad happens to another person, but it is not our fault. We use this phrase only for serious things.
For example:
Sinto muito pela sua perda. (I’m sorry for your loss.)
Sinto muito que você esteja passando por isso. (I’m sorry that you are going through this.)
Sinto muito pelo que aconteceu. (I’m sorry for what happened.)
We use “desculpe” or “desculpa” to apologize for something that we did. It can refer to something serious or trivial.
For example:
Desculpe o atraso; peguei muito trânsito. (Sorry for the delay; I ran into a lot of traffic.)
Desculpa, eu te interrompi sem querer. (Sorry, I interrupted you without meaning to.)
If you lightly bump into someone on the street, you can simply say “desculpa”(sorry) and move on.
We can also say “me desculpe” or “me desculpa,” but this use is a little less common in everyday speech.
When should we say “desculpe” or “com licença”?
I find it interesting that the phrase “com licença” is generally translated into English as “excuse me,” but the translation from English into Portuguese will not always be the same.
In English, we can use the phrase “excuse me” to apologize for bodily noises such as coughing, burping, among others. When you do not hear what someone says, you can say “excuse me”. In Portuguese, it would not make any sense at all to say “com licença” in these two situations. We would say “desculpa”.
For example:
Desculpa, pode repetir? (Sorry, can you repeat?)
Ham-ham. Desculpa. (Ahem. Sorry.)
We use “com licença” to ask for permission to pass, or when we need to interrupt someone or get someone’s attention.
For example:
Com licença, eu preciso passar. (Excuse me, I need to pass.)
Com licença, posso entrar? (Excuse me, may I come in?)
Com licença, onde fica o banheiro? (Excuse me, where is the bathroom?)
What is the difference between “pedir desculpa” and “dar uma desculpa”?
“Pedir desculpa” would be equivalent to “apologize” in English, while “dar uma desculpa” or “inventar uma desculpa” would be equivalent to “make an excuse.”
In these sentences, we are using the word “desculpa” as a noun that can mean “forgiveness” or “excuse.”
For example:
Eu gostaria de pedir desculpas pelo que aconteceu. (I would like to apologize for what happened.)
Peço desculpas pelo inconveniente. (I apologize for the inconvenience.)
Eduarda inventou uma desculpa para faltar à reunião. (Eduarda made up an excuse to miss the meeting.)
Estou cansada das suas desculpas. (I’m tired of your excuses.)
How do we respond to an apology?
There are many ways. When someone says “desculpe,” you can respond:
Tudo bem. (It’s okay.)
Não tem problema. (No problem.)
Não foi nada. (It was nothing.)
Não se preocupe. (Don’t worry.)
Imagina. Não precisa se desculpar. (No worries. You don’t need to apologize.)
I would like to reinforce that there are some regional and cultural differences regarding the use of all these words in Brazil. For example, many people also use the phrase “pedir perdão” or simply the word “perdão” instead of the word “desculpa”. I never use the word “perdão,” it does not sound natural to me, but my husband uses it. For him, it is natural. We are from different regions of Brazil, so the way we use the language is a little different.
Free worksheet!
👉 This lesson includes a free support material with the summary of the lesson and many examples in sentences. Click here to download your free worksheet.
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