Laura: Daniel, I’m so, so sorry I’m late, I know you’ve been waiting.
Daniel: Hey, Laura, it’s okay, but yeah, I’ve been here for a while, what happened?

Laura: I lost track of time at work and then the bus was delayed, it turned into a mess.
Daniel: Wow, that sounds stressful, how late did the bus arrive?

Laura: Almost twenty minutes late, and I should have left the office earlier, that’s my fault.
Daniel: I appreciate you saying that, I was just worried something had happened to you.

Laura: I really hate keeping people waiting, honestly, I feel terrible about it.
Daniel: I can see you feel bad, but don’t beat yourself up too much.

Laura: Still, I should have texted you as soon as I realized I’d be late.
Daniel: Yeah, a quick message would’ve helped, I was checking my phone all the time.

Laura: You’re right, I wasn’t thinking clearly, I was rushing out of the office.
Daniel: I get it, sometimes everything happens at once and you just run.

Laura: I promise next time I’ll leave more time and I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong.
Daniel: That sounds fair, I really appreciate you taking it seriously.

Laura: Are you really okay, or are you still annoyed with me?
Daniel: I was annoyed at first, but now that I know what happened, I’m mostly just relieved you’re fine.

Laura: Thank you for being honest, I completely understand why you were annoyed.
Daniel: And thank you for actually apologizing properly instead of pretending it’s no big deal.

Laura: It is a big deal to me, your time matters and I feel I disrespected that.
Daniel: I like hearing that, it makes it easier to forgive and move on.

Laura: Can I make it up to you somehow, maybe I buy the coffee and cake today?
Daniel: That sounds like a good start, I’m not going to say no to free cake.

Laura: Deal, coffee and cake are on me, consider it part of my official apology.
Daniel: Apology accepted, especially with chocolate involved.

Laura: Next time I’ll aim to be ten minutes early instead of fifteen minutes late.
Daniel: That would be a nice change, but even “on time” would be great.

Laura: Fair enough, I’ll start with “on time” and then work on being early.
Daniel: That’s a realistic plan, I like it.

Laura: Just so you know, if you’re ever late, I promise I won’t give you a hard time.
Daniel: Thanks, but now I feel extra pressure to be on time so I don’t look bad.

Laura: See, now we’re both going to try harder, that’s a win.
Daniel: True, our friendship just got a tiny upgrade in punctuality.

Laura: I’m really glad you’re not mad at me anymore.
Daniel: I’m not, honestly, we all mess up sometimes, what matters is how we handle it.

Laura: I’ll remember that, and next time I’ll handle it better before I’m late.
Daniel: Sounds good, now let’s forget about the clock and enjoy our coffee.

En este diálogo aparece el inglés práctico que necesitas para pedir disculpas por llegar tarde y gestionar bien la situación.

Vocabulario para disculparse y expresar culpa
Aparecen expresiones muy típicas: “I’m so, so sorry I’m late”, “I really hate keeping people waiting”, “honestly, I feel terrible about it”, “that’s my fault”.
También: “I should have texted you”, “I wasn’t thinking clearly”, “I promise next time I’ll leave more time”, “I feel I disrespected that” (tu tiempo).
El verbo keep someone waiting es muy habitual: hacer esperar a alguien.

Vocabulario sobre la situación concreta
“I lost track of time at work” (se me fue la noción del tiempo), “the bus was delayed”, “turned into a mess”, “rushing out of the office”, “I’ve been here for a while”.
“La situación” se describe con pocas palabras, pero muy claras.

Vocabulario sobre emociones y reacción
“That sounds stressful”, “I was just worried something had happened to you”, “I was annoyed at first”, “relieved you’re fine”, “don’t beat yourself up too much” (no te machaques), “I completely understand why you were annoyed”.
La expresión “beat yourself up” es muy útil y coloquial.

Vocabulario para reparación y cierre
“Can I make it up to you somehow?” (= compensarte de alguna manera), “coffee and cake are on me” (= yo invito), “consider it part of my official apology”, “apology accepted”, “forgive and move on”, “our friendship just got a tiny upgrade in punctuality”.
“On me” es clave: corre de mi cuenta.

Frases fuertes para pedir perdón
“I’m so, so sorry I’m late”: el doble “so” refuerza la sinceridad.
“Honestly, I feel terrible about it”: añade peso emocional y muestra que no lo minimizas.

Reconocer el error sin excusas vacías
“I should have left the office earlier, that’s my fault.”
“I should have texted you as soon as I realized I’d be late.”
El patrón I should have + participio es perfecto para asumir responsabilidad por algo que no hiciste.

Expresar preocupación en la respuesta
“I was just worried something had happened to you.”
No solo “me has hecho esperar”, sino también “me preocupaba que te hubiera pasado algo”; suaviza el enfado y muestra cuidado.

Marcar lo que faltó (comunicación)
“A quick message would’ve helped, I was checking my phone all the time.”
El reproche es claro, pero está envuelto en un tono razonable.

Frases que ayudan a perdonar
“Don’t beat yourself up too much.”
“I really appreciate you taking it seriously.”
“It makes it easier to forgive and move on.”
“Honestly, we all mess up sometimes, what matters is how we handle it.”
“Mess up” es una forma coloquial de decir “equivocarse” sin sonar dramático.

Compensar con un gesto concreto
“Can I make it up to you somehow, maybe I buy the coffee and cake today?”
“Coffee and cake are on me, consider it part of my official apology.”
Este tipo de gesto es muy cultural: acompañar la disculpa con una pequeña acción.

Toque de humor para cerrar
“I’m not going to say no to free cake.”
“Apology accepted, especially with chocolate involved.”
“Our friendship just got a tiny upgrade in punctuality.”
El humor ayuda a cerrar la tensión manteniendo el vínculo.

Uso de PASADO SIMPLE y PRESENTE PERFECTO IMPLÍCITO
Se describe lo que pasó:
“The bus was delayed.”
“I lost track of time.”
“I should have texted you.” (estructura de pasado hipotético: lo que “debí haber hecho”).

Uso de “SHOULD HAVE + PARTICIPIO”
Es clave para disculpas:
“I should have left the office earlier.”
“I should have texted you as soon as I realized.”
Expresa arrepentimiento por una acción que no se hizo.

Uso de FUTURO para comprometerse a cambiar
“I promise next time I’ll leave more time.”
“Next time I’ll aim to be ten minutes early.”
“If anything happens I’ll let you know straight away.”
Este uso de I’ll y I promise marca compromiso real, no solo “lo siento”.

Uso de EXPRESIONES MODALES SUAVES
“Are you really okay, or are you still annoyed with me?”
“That sounds like a good start.”
“That would be a nice change.”
“That’s a realistic plan.”
Modales y adjetivos como realistic suavizan y hacen la conversación más colaborativa.

PHRASAL VERBS Y EXPRESIONES COLOQUIALES
“Lost track of time” = se me pasó el tiempo.
“Beat yourself up” = machacarte.
“Make it up to you” = compensarte.
“Give you a hard time” = ponértelo difícil / reñirte.
“Move on” = seguir adelante (emocionalmente).
Aprender estos phrasal verbs en bloque es muy útil.

La forma de disculparse
En inglés es común combinar: disculpa clara + breve explicación + reconocimiento del fallo.
Ejemplo completo: “I’m so sorry I’m late, the bus was delayed, and I should have left earlier, that’s my fault.”
Solo decir “sorry, the bus…” sin asumir responsabilidad propia puede sonar como excusa constante.

Valorar el tiempo de la otra persona
La frase “your time matters and I feel I disrespected that” es muy fuerte culturalmente: muestra que entiendes que el tiempo del otro es valioso. En entornos anglófonos, ser puntual y respetar el tiempo se considera una muestra importante de respeto.

No minimizar el problema
En vez de “bueno, no es para tanto”, aquí se valora que la otra persona se lo tome en serio:
“Thank you for actually apologizing properly instead of pretending it’s no big deal.”
Reconocer el impacto da sensación de madurez y cuidado.

Cerrar con humor y normalización
Frases como “we all mess up sometimes, what matters is how we handle it” es justo la filosofía típica: errores hay; lo importante es cómo se gestionan. El humor final con el pastel y el “upgrade in punctuality” ayuda a que la relación salga reforzada, no dañada.

Cómo pedir perdón por llegar tarde en inglés (plantilla)
Puedes seguir este esquema:

Disculpa + reconocimiento
“I’m really sorry I’m late, I know you’ve been waiting.”

Explicación breve
“The bus was delayed and I left the office later than I should have.”

Asumir responsabilidad
“I should have left earlier and I should have texted you, that’s my fault.”

Compromiso futuro
“Next time I’ll leave more time and I’ll let you know straight away if I’m running late.”

Posible gesto de reparación
“Let me make it up to you, coffee is on me today.”

Frases útiles para quien recibe la disculpa
Para reaccionar con cercanía pero honestidad:
“I was annoyed at first, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
“A quick message would’ve helped, but I appreciate the apology.”
“Don’t beat yourself up too much, it happens.”
“Apology accepted, let’s move on.”

En una situación de pedir disculpas por llegar tarde en inglés te conviene:
Usar expresiones claras de disculpa (“I’m so sorry I’m late”, “I feel terrible about it”) y combinar explicación breve con reconocimiento del fallo (“I should have…”).
Mostrar respeto por el tiempo del otro (“I know you’ve been waiting”, “your time matters”) y ofrecer un pequeño gesto de reparación (“coffee is on me”, “let me make it up to you”).
Si eres tú quien espera, expresar enfado suave pero abierto a perdonar (“I was annoyed, but I’m relieved you’re fine”, “I appreciate you taking it seriously”).