spiacente vs dispiace

Hi,

I have a question.

To say Yes, sorry. and Yes, I am sorry. 

Attempt 1: Si, spiacente. ----- Si, mi spiacente.
Attempt 2: Si, dispiace. ----- Si, mi dispiace.

As "spiacente" and "dispiace" both mean "sorry", I don't know which word to use. 

Grazie.

Hi Rachelyeo,

The difference here is that spiacente is an adjective, while mi dispiace is a verb. More precicely, spiacente is the present participle of the verb spiacere.

So you can't say Sì, mi spiacente, because adjectives are never preceded by a pronoun (literally, this would mean "Yes, to me sorry"). You can however say Sì, spiacente, or Sì, sono spiacente ("Yes, sorry" or "Yes, I am sorry").

Mi dispiace is composed of two elements: mi (to me) and dispiace (conjugation of dispiacere). There is no construction like this in English, but we could translate it word-for-word as "To me (it) regrets".

You'll notice I put an accent on that "si": this is why "sì" means yes, but "si" (no accent) is a little word that is used in impersonal verbs. You'll see it in later lessons.

Hope this helps!

Lucia