Significado
Feeling regret or sympathy about something.
Contexto cultural
Romanians often use 'Îmi pare rău' as a conversational filler to show they are listening and empathizing, even if the topic isn't tragic. In the Republic of Moldova, you might hear 'Mă scuzați' more frequently in formal public transport settings, but 'Îmi pare rău' remains the standard for emotional regret. There is a stereotype that Transylvanians are more measured. An 'Îmi pare rău' here might be followed by a long explanation of why something happened. Younger generations in Bucharest often mix 'Sorry' (English) with Romanian, but 'Îmi pare rău' is still used for serious matters or with elders.
The 'De' Rule
Use 'de' when you feel sorry for a person or a thing: 'Îmi pare rău de el.'
No 'Sunt'!
Never use 'sunt' with this phrase. It's always 'îmi pare'.
Significado
Feeling regret or sympathy about something.
The 'De' Rule
Use 'de' when you feel sorry for a person or a thing: 'Îmi pare rău de el.'
No 'Sunt'!
Never use 'sunt' with this phrase. It's always 'îmi pare'.
Softening a 'No'
Always start a refusal with 'Îmi pare rău' to stay in the person's good graces.
Eye Contact
When saying 'Îmi pare rău' in person, maintain soft eye contact to show sincerity.
Ponte a prueba
Fill in the correct Dative pronoun (îmi, îți, îi, ne, vă, le).
___ pare rău că am uitat de ziua ta.
Since the verb is 'am uitat' (I forgot), the person feeling sorry is 'I' (îmi).
Choose the correct way to say 'I am sorry' in Romanian.
How do you apologize for being late?
'Îmi pare rău' is the only grammatically correct idiom for an apology.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: Your friend's dog died.
We use 'îmi pare rău de...' to express sympathy for someone's loss.
Complete the dialogue.
Andrei: 'Am pierdut biletele la concert.' Tu: 'Oh nu! ___ pare rău să aud asta.'
You are expressing your own feeling of regret about the news.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Sorry vs. Excuse Me
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejercicios___ pare rău că am uitat de ziua ta.
Since the verb is 'am uitat' (I forgot), the person feeling sorry is 'I' (îmi).
How do you apologize for being late?
'Îmi pare rău' is the only grammatically correct idiom for an apology.
Situation: Your friend's dog died.
We use 'îmi pare rău de...' to express sympathy for someone's loss.
Andrei: 'Am pierdut biletele la concert.' Tu: 'Oh nu! ___ pare rău să aud asta.'
You are expressing your own feeling of regret about the news.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
14 preguntasIn very informal texting, yes, but in speaking, it sounds incomplete. Always include the 'îmi' or 'îți'.
Both are used, but 'de' is more common for sympathy ('de tine'), while 'pentru' is used for specific actions ('pentru ce am făcut').
Use 'Îmi pare foarte rău' or 'Îmi pare nespus de rău'.
No, use 'Pardon' or 'Scuzați-mă' for getting someone's attention.
The plural is 'păreri de rău', often used to mean 'regrets'.
Yes, it is neutral. For extra formality, use 'Îmi cer scuze'.
Because the feeling is 'to me' (Dative), not 'me' (Accusative).
Nu-mi pare rău de nimic.
Yes! You can use it to show sympathy for someone else's bad luck.
Only if your tone is flat. Usually, it is taken as very sincere.
'A regreta' is a standard verb, while 'a-i părea rău' is the idiomatic, everyday expression.
Îmi pare rău de tine.
People sometimes just say 'Scuze' in very casual settings.
Yes, 'Ne pare rău pentru...' is very common in business emails.
Frases relacionadas
A regreta
synonymTo regret
A-și cere scuze
similarTo ask for forgiveness
Păcat
similarWhat a pity
A-i fi milă
specialized formTo feel pity
A-i părea bine
contrastTo be glad
