When you're learning Spanish at a CEFR B1 level, you're moving beyond basic survival phrases. You can understand main points and produce simple connected text on familiar topics. Learning words like "compungido" helps you express more nuanced emotions and describe situations with greater detail. It's a useful adjective to add to your vocabulary for when you want to talk about feelings of regret or guilt.
§ Similar Words and When to Use 'Compungido' vs. Alternatives
When you're trying to express feelings of regret or guilt in Spanish, you have a few options. Understanding the nuances will help you pick the best word for the situation. Let's look at some words similar to 'compungido' and when to use them.
- Definition
- 'Compungido' means remorseful or contrite, showing deep regret or guilt. It's often used when someone feels a strong sense of sorrow or shame for their actions.
Here are some alternatives and how they compare:
- Arrepentido (adjective): This is probably the most common way to say 'regretful' or 'sorry' in Spanish. It's a general term for feeling regret about something you did or didn't do.
Estoy muy arrepentido por lo que pasó. (I am very sorry for what happened.)
- Culpable (adjective): This means 'guilty.' You use this when someone is actually at fault or responsible for a negative outcome. While someone 'compungido' might feel guilty, 'culpable' simply states the fact of guilt.
El jurado lo declaró culpable. (The jury declared him guilty.)
- Afligido (adjective): This means 'distressed' or 'grieved.' While someone who is 'afligido' might be feeling sad or upset, it doesn't necessarily imply regret or guilt. It's more about general emotional suffering.
Estaba afligido por la noticia. (He was distressed by the news.)
So, when should you use 'compungido'? Use it when you want to emphasize a deep, heartfelt sense of remorse or contrition. It's not just a casual 'sorry' but a genuine, often visible, expression of regret.
For example:
Después de su error, se mostró muy compungido y pidió disculpas sinceramente. (After his mistake, he seemed very remorseful and apologized sincerely.)
In this example, 'compungido' conveys a stronger sense of regret than 'arrepentido' might. It suggests that the person is deeply affected by their actions and truly feels bad.
Think of it this way: if someone simply says 'I'm sorry,' they might be 'arrepentido.' But if they are visibly upset, perhaps crying, and expressing intense guilt, they are likely 'compungido.'
Con voz compungida, admitió su error. (With a contrite voice, he admitted his mistake.)
Choosing 'compungido' adds depth to your expression, indicating a significant emotional impact of one's actions. It's a word that conveys serious remorse, not just a casual apology.
How Formal Is It?
"El acusado se mostró compungido ante el tribunal. (The accused appeared remorseful before the court.)"
"Estoy arrepentido de mis acciones. (I am regretful of my actions.)"
"Me siento apenado por lo que pasó. (I feel sorry for what happened.)"
"El niño estaba triste por romper el juguete. (The boy was sad for breaking the toy.)"
"Estoy jodido por lo que hice. (I'm messed up/screwed up because of what I did.)"
Exemples par niveau
Se sentía compungido por haber olvidado el cumpleaños de su madre, un descuido imperdonable.
He felt remorseful for having forgotten his mother's birthday, an unforgivable oversight.
Here, 'compungido' describes the subject's emotional state, indicating deep regret.
Con voz compungida, admitió su error y pidió disculpas a todo el equipo.
With a contrite voice, he admitted his mistake and apologized to the whole team.
'Voz compungida' implies a tone of voice filled with regret.
Después de la discusión, su actitud compungida era evidente para todos los presentes.
After the argument, his remorseful attitude was evident to everyone present.
'Actitud compungida' refers to the outward display of deep regret.
El acusado, con la cabeza baja y una mirada compungida, escuchó la sentencia del juez.
The accused, with his head down and a contrite look, listened to the judge's sentence.
'Mirada compungida' describes a gaze that conveys deep regret or guilt.
Aunque sus palabras eran de arrepentimiento, su semblante compungido era lo que más conmovía.
Although his words were of repentance, his remorseful expression was what was most moving.
'Semblante compungido' refers to a facial expression showing deep regret or sorrow.
Era evidente que se encontraba compungido por las consecuencias de sus acciones irreflexivas.
It was evident that he was remorseful for the consequences of his thoughtless actions.
Here, 'se encontraba compungido' is used to express his state of feeling remorse.
Su compungido silencio tras la noticia reveló la profundidad de su pesar.
His remorseful silence after the news revealed the depth of his sorrow.
'Silencio compungido' indicates a silence born out of deep regret or sadness.
A pesar de su error, el gesto compungido con el que pidió perdón fue sincero.
Despite his mistake, the contrite gesture with which he asked for forgiveness was sincere.
'Gesto compungido' refers to a physical action or expression showing deep regret.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Imagine a 'punk kid' (compungido) who just broke a window and now feels really bad about it.
Association visuelle
Picture someone with a 'pained' (compungido) expression, perhaps with their head in their hands, looking genuinely sorry.
Word Web
Défi
Describe a time you felt compungido. For example: 'Me sentí compungido después de olvidar el cumpleaños de mi amigo.' (I felt remorseful after forgetting my friend's birthday.)
Teste-toi 48 questions
Listen to the greeting.
Listen for the name.
Listen for the question about origin.
Read this aloud:
Gracias.
Focus: gra-cee-ahs
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Adiós.
Focus: ah-dee-ohs
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Por favor.
Focus: por fah-vor
Tu as dit :
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Write a short sentence about someone who is happy. (Example: 'My dog is happy.')
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Mi gato es feliz.
Write a short sentence about something you like. (Example: 'I like fruit.')
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Me gusta el café.
Write a short sentence about what you drink. (Example: 'I drink water.')
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Bebo leche.
¿De dónde es Ana?
Read this passage:
Hola, me llamo Ana. Soy de España. Tengo un perro. Él es muy amigable.
¿De dónde es Ana?
The passage says 'Soy de España.'
The passage says 'Soy de España.'
¿De qué color es la manzana?
Read this passage:
Tengo una manzana roja. Es dulce y me gusta mucho.
¿De qué color es la manzana?
The passage says 'Tengo una manzana roja.'
The passage says 'Tengo una manzana roja.'
¿Qué tiene Juan?
Read this passage:
Mi amigo Juan tiene un coche nuevo. Es grande y negro.
¿Qué tiene Juan?
The passage says 'Mi amigo Juan tiene un coche nuevo.'
The passage says 'Mi amigo Juan tiene un coche nuevo.'
The child was remorseful after breaking the toy.
The woman felt contrite for her harsh words.
With a remorseful voice, he apologized to his friends.
Read this aloud:
Ella estaba muy compungida por su error.
Focus: com-poon-HEE-dah
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
¿Por qué estás compungido?
Focus: com-poon-HEE-doh
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
No quiero que te sientas compungida.
Focus: com-poon-HEE-dah
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
He felt remorseful after saying those hurtful words.
The boy was contrite for breaking his sister's toy.
His remorseful gaze made me understand that he regretted it.
Read this aloud:
Estoy compungido por mi error.
Focus: com-pun-jee-doh
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
¿Te sientes compungido por lo que pasó?
Focus: com-pun-jee-doh
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
La expresión de su rostro era compungida.
Focus: com-pun-jee-doh
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Describe a time you felt 'compungido'. What happened? How did you try to make things right?
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Me sentí compungido cuando olvidé el cumpleaños de mi mejor amigo. Le pedí disculpas inmediatamente y le compré un regalo especial para compensarlo.
Imagine you accidentally broke something valuable. Write a short apology to the owner, using the word 'compungido'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Querido [Nombre], estoy muy compungido por haber roto tu jarrón. Fue un accidente y lamento mucho lo sucedido. Me gustaría reemplazarlo.
Think of a character in a book or movie who felt 'compungido'. Briefly explain their situation and why they felt that way.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
En la película, el protagonista se sentía compungido después de haber traicionado la confianza de su amigo. Su expresión facial mostraba su profundo arrepentimiento.
¿Cómo se sentía María por haber llegado tarde?
Read this passage:
María llegó tarde a la reunión y sabía que había molestado a sus compañeros. Se sentó en silencio, con la cabeza baja, y un sentimiento de culpa la invadió. Se sentía muy compungida por su falta de puntualidad y quería pedir perdón a todos.
¿Cómo se sentía María por haber llegado tarde?
El pasaje indica claramente que 'un sentimiento de culpa la invadió' y 'se sentía muy compungida'.
El pasaje indica claramente que 'un sentimiento de culpa la invadió' y 'se sentía muy compungida'.
¿Qué acción del niño muestra que se sentía compungido?
Read this passage:
El niño había tomado el juguete de su hermana sin permiso. Cuando ella empezó a llorar, él se dio cuenta de su error. Con la cara roja y los ojos llenos de lágrimas, el pequeño se veía compungido y le ofreció el juguete de vuelta a su hermana.
¿Qué acción del niño muestra que se sentía compungido?
La acción de darse cuenta de su error y devolver el juguete demuestra su remordimiento.
La acción de darse cuenta de su error y devolver el juguete demuestra su remordimiento.
¿Qué pista en el pasaje sugiere que el orador estaba compungido?
Read this passage:
El orador hizo un comentario desafortunado durante su discurso. Inmediatamente después, supo que había ofendido a algunos miembros de la audiencia. Su voz se volvió suave y su postura se encogió. Claramente, el hombre estaba compungido por sus palabras.
¿Qué pista en el pasaje sugiere que el orador estaba compungido?
Estos gestos físicos son indicativos de sentir remordimiento o contrición.
Estos gestos físicos son indicativos de sentir remordimiento o contrición.
The speaker is describing someone's demeanor after apologizing.
The child's expression is being described in relation to a broken vase.
Someone feels bad about forgetting an important date.
Read this aloud:
Describe una situación en la que alguien podría sentirse compungido.
Focus: compungido
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Usa 'compungido' en una frase para describir la reacción de una persona que ha cometido un error serio.
Focus: cometido
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
¿Qué diferencia hay entre sentirse 'triste' y sentirse 'compungido'?
Focus: diferencia
Tu as dit :
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This sentence structure (subject-verb-adverb-adjective-prepositional phrase) is common when describing emotions and their cause. 'Profundamente compungido' emphasizes the depth of the feeling.
This sentence uses a concessive clause ('Aunque estaba compungido') followed by a main clause, indicating a contrast between feeling remorse and taking responsibility. 'Sabía que debía' expresses a strong obligation.
This structure uses a prepositional phrase ('Con voz compungida') to describe how the action ('pidió disculpas') was performed, highlighting the speaker's emotional state. 'A todos los presentes' is the indirect object.
Después de la discusión, su actitud ___ mostró cuánto lamentaba sus palabras.
The context implies regret, so 'compungido' (remorseful) is the correct fit. The other options suggest positive or indifferent emotions.
Con voz ___, pidió disculpas por el error cometido en la reunión.
A 'compungida' (contrite) voice aligns with asking for apologies due to an error. The other options are antonyms or unrelated in tone.
El acusado, con un semblante ___, aceptó la sentencia del juez sin objeciones.
An accused person accepting a sentence without objection would likely have a 'compungido' (remorseful) expression, indicating regret or guilt.
Su mirada ___ revelaba el profundo pesar que sentía por haber causado tanto dolor.
A 'compungida' (remorseful) gaze is appropriate for someone feeling deep sorrow for causing pain. The other options are inconsistent with the sentiment.
El niño, ___ por haber roto el jarrón, prometió ser más cuidadoso en el futuro.
A child who has broken something and promises to be more careful is likely 'compungido' (contrite), showing regret for their actions.
A pesar de sus palabras de disculpa, su actitud no parecía muy ___, lo que levantó sospechas.
If someone's attitude doesn't seem 'compungida' (remorseful) despite their apologies, it suggests their regret might not be genuine, leading to suspicion.
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Contenu associé
Plus de mots sur emotions
a diferencia de
B1Unlike; in contrast to.
abatido
B1Feeling or showing great sadness or discouragement; dejected.
abatimiento
B2State of being low in spirits; dejection or depression.
abatir
B1To make someone feel dejected or disheartened.
abierto/a de mente
B2Open-minded; willing to consider new ideas; unprejudiced.
aborrecer
B1To regard with disgust and hatred; to loathe.
abrazar
A1To put one's arms around someone as a sign of affection.
abrazo
A1An act of holding someone closely in one's arms; a hug.
abrumador
B1Overpowering; very great or intense.
abrumar
B1To overwhelm (someone) with a large amount of something.
