Phrase · 🙇 Apologies & excuses
Me desculpe pelo atraso.
I apologise for being late.
B1apologizing for being lateAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Me1object pronounmeeu · 1st sing. · direct objectdesculpe1verbexcusedesculpar · imperative · 3rd sing.pelo2prepositionfor thepor · masc. · sing. · definiteatraso3nounlatenessmasc. · sing..
- desculpe → Me: object
- desculpe → pelo: preposition
- pelo → atraso: contraction
Word for word: “Me excuse for-the delay.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Me desculpe: polite imperative with the pronoun first, normal in Brazil (Spanish discúlpeme). Object pronouns as spoken →
- 2pelo = por + o. Without it, desculpe o atraso is fine too. Contractions: preposition + article/pronoun →
- 3o atraso = being late (Spanish retraso). Chegar atrasado = to arrive late.
Variations
- Desculpa o atraso!
- Desculpe pelo atraso.
- Foi mal o atraso, gente!