Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers key Spanish expressions to convey gratitude and apologies, such as "Te agradezco por" (I thank you for) and "Quiero disculparme por" (I want to apologize for), helping you communicate appreciation and regret naturally.
  1. We use "te agradezco por" or "estoy agradecido por" to express gratitude.
  2. We use "quiero disculparme por" or "lamento que" to express apology.
  3. In both cases, the expressions are followed by a sentence or a noun that indicates the reason for the gratitude or the apology.
TipoExpresiónEjemplo
AgradecimientoTe agradezco por...Te agradezco por tu actitud optimista al tratar este problema. (Thank you for your optimistic attitude when dealing with this problem.)
Estoy (muy) agradecido por...Estoy muy agradecido por el respeto que demostraste en esa acción. (I am very grateful for the respect you showed in that action.)
DisculpaQuiero disculparme por...Quiero disculparme por el humor con el que me puse ayer. No fue apropiado. (I want to apologise for the mood I was in yesterday. It was not appropriate.)
Lamento (mucho)...Lamento mucho mi actitud pesimista. No supe soportar bien la situación. (I deeply regret my pessimistic attitude. I couldn’t handle the situation well.)

Exercise 1: Estructuras para expresar agradecimiento y disculpa

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

disculparme, agradecido, Lamento, agradezco, Quiero disculparme

1. Agradecimiento (agradecer):
Estoy muy ... por tu actitud positiva llena de optimismo.
(I am very grateful for your positive attitude full of optimism.)
2. Disculpa (agradecer):
Quiero ... por haber tratado la situación con tan poca paciencia.
(I want to apologise for having handled the situation with so little patience.)
3. Disculpa (agradecer):
... por el mal humor con el que me puse al tratar el tema.
(I want to apologise for the bad mood I got into when discussing the topic.)
4. Disculpa (lamentar):
... mucho haber perdido el humor en ese momento tan difícil.
(I deeply regret having lost my sense of humour at such a difficult moment.)
5. Agradecimiento (agradecer):
Estoy muy ... por el sentimiento de apoyo que siempre me das.
(I am very grateful for the feeling of support you always give me.)
6. Agradecimiento (agradecer):
Te ... por soportar mi pesimismo cuando me puse a pensar en lo peor.
(I thank you for putting up with my pessimism when I started thinking of the worst.)
7. Disculpa (disculpar):
Quiero ... por la percepción equivocada que tuve sobre tu acción.
(I want to apologise for the mistaken perception I had about your action.)
8. Disculpa (agradecer):
... mucho haber herido tus sentimientos con mi actitud.
(I am very sorry for having hurt your feelings with my attitude.)

Structures to Express Gratitude and Apology in Spanish

This lesson focuses on useful expressions to convey appreciation and apologies in Spanish at an intermediate (B1) level. You will learn key phrases and sentence structures that allow you to politely express thanks and regret in various contexts.

Expressing Gratitude

To show appreciation, two common expressions are used:

  • Te agradezco por...
  • Estoy (muy) agradecido por...

Both are followed by a phrase explaining the reason for your gratitude. For example:
Te agradezco por tu actitud optimista al tratar este problema.
Estoy muy agradecido por el respeto que demostraste en esa acción.

Expressing Apologies

To apologize, Spanish offers these helpful structures:

  • Quiero disculparme por...
  • Lamento (mucho)...

These are also followed by explanations or reasons for the apology, such as:
Quiero disculparme por el humor con el que me puse ayer. No fue apropiado.
Lamento mucho mi actitud pesimista. No supe soportar bien la situación.

Usage Notes

In both expressing gratitude and apologizing, the phrases are typically followed by a clause or noun phrase indicating the cause.

Differences and Useful Expressions

Unlike English, Spanish uses specific verbs for 'to thank' and 'to apologize' that are often reflexive or constructed with prepositions such as "por" to show the reason.

For example, "Te agradezco por..." literally translates as "I thank you for...", emphasizing the direct recipient, whereas English often uses "thank you for..." without a prepositional verb form.

Similarly, "Quiero disculparme por..." translates as "I want to apologize for...", reflecting a direct and polite construction.

Useful phrases include:

  • Muchísimas gracias - Thank you very much
  • Perdón - Sorry (casual)
  • Disculpa - Excuse me / Sorry (informal)
  • Lo siento - I'm sorry
These can vary in formality and intensity.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage