Spanish word

perdonar

Pronunciation

IPA/peɾðoˈnaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbforgive

Example

¿Me perdonas?

Will you forgive me?

Illustration for perdonar (forgive)

More examples

Ella decidió perdonar a su hermano.

She decided to forgive her brother.

Core concept

Removing a person's chains and letting them go.

Common phrases

  • perdonar a alguien

    forgive someone

  • perdonar un error

    forgive an error

  • perdonar la deuda

    forgive the debt

Similar words

disculpar: Accepts an action without blaming the person who did it.
disculparse: Apologizes and admits responsibility for a personal mistake.
olvidar: Stops recalling a past event so it no longer affects thoughts or feelings.

Definition in Spanish

Aceptar y no castigar a alguien por una ofensa, liberándolo de la obligación de reparar el daño.

Word origin

From Latin perdonare, formed from per- "completely" + donare "to give", it originally meant "to give away" and now expresses remitting an offense or releasing someone from an obligation.

Usage tips

  • When forgiving a person, Spanish commonly uses the personal a (perdonar a María); leaving it out can sound ungrammatical or awkward.

Other meanings

  • overlookverb
  • exemptverb
  • pardonverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word