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ITALIAN VERB

dispiacere

to be sorry (mi dispiace, I'm sorry)

  • #78 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: dispiaciuto
  • Gerund: dispiacendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I am sorry
  2. tu you are sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she is sorry
  4. noi we are sorry
  5. voi you all are sorry
  6. loro they are sorry

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I was sorry
  2. tu you were sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she was sorry
  4. noi we were sorry
  5. voi you all were sorry
  6. loro they were sorry

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to be sorry
  2. tu you used to be sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to be sorry
  4. noi we used to be sorry
  5. voi you all used to be sorry
  6. loro they used to be sorry

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will be sorry
  2. tu you will be sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will be sorry
  4. noi we will be sorry
  5. voi you all will be sorry
  6. loro they will be sorry

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would be sorry
  2. tu you would be sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would be sorry
  4. noi we would be sorry
  5. voi you all would be sorry
  6. loro they would be sorry

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I be sorry
  2. tu (that) you be sorry
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she be sorry
  4. noi (that) we be sorry
  5. voi (that) you all be sorry
  6. loro (that) they be sorry

How to use dispiacere

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Mi dispiace, non posso venire stasera.

    I'm sorry, I can't come tonight.

  2. Past

    Mi è dispiaciuto molto non vederti.

    I was very sorry not to see you.

  3. Imperfect

    Gli dispiaceva andare via così presto.

    He was sorry to leave so early.

  4. Future

    Ti dispiacerà non essere venuto.

    You'll be sorry you didn't come.

  5. Conditional

    Ti dispiacerebbe chiudere la finestra?

    Would you mind closing the window?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Non credo che gli dispiaccia aspettare.

    I don't think he minds waiting.

Good to know

  • Mi dispiace is I'm sorry; ti dispiace se...? asks do you mind if...?

Where you hear dispiacere

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Italian · Beginner Level 1

  • Mi dispiace, oggi il caffè è finito. I'm sorry, the coffee's run out today.
  • Mi è dispiaciuto per il tuo telefono, Laura. I was sorry about your phone, Laura.
  • Venerdì mi dispiacerà lasciare Bologna. On Friday, I'll be sorry to leave Bologna.

Italian · Intermediate Level 1

  • Mi dispiace, oggi il caffè è finito. I'm sorry, the coffee's run out today.
  • Mi è dispiaciuto per il tuo telefono, Laura. I was sorry about your phone, Laura.
  • Venerdì mi dispiacerà lasciare Bologna. On Friday, I'll be sorry to leave Bologna.
4
The First Service

Intermediate Level 1 · Sì, anche la pasta. Mi dispiace tanto. · Mi dispiace.

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A Guest Complains

Intermediate Level 1 · Mi dispiace molto.

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The Last Chapter

Intermediate Level 3 · Ti dispiace, Nonna?

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.