spiace

Spiace is an Italian word used to express regret, pity, or disappointment. It is derived from the verb spiacere and is typically used in an impersonal construction, often with a pronoun indicating who is affected, such as mi, ti, ci, or vi. The most common form is mi spiace, meaning “I’m sorry” or “I regret it.” Another frequent form is ci spiace, meaning “we are sorry.” In everyday speech, mi dispiace is more common, but mi spiace remains standard and widely understood, sometimes carrying a slightly more formal or literary tone. The phrases È spiace and Che spiace are used to express that a situation is regrettable or unfortunate.

Spiace also functions as an adjective meaning “unpleasant” or “regrettable,” used in constructions such as un fatto spiace, meaning “an unpleasant matter,” or in phrases like fatti spiacevoli, meaning “unpleasant events.” It appears in exclamations such as Che spiace! or È spiace che..., which translate roughly as “How unfortunate!” or “It’s a pity that…”

Usage notes: both mi spiace and mi dispiace are used to apologize; the latter is more common in casual or contemporary Italian, while the former can appear in formal writing or traditional speech. The construction supports polite, empathetic communication, including customer announcements and official notices.

Etymology: spiace comes from the verb spiacere, meaning to displease or to be unfortunate, sharing semantic territory with the piacere family. In English, equivalents include I’m sorry, it’s a pity, or that’s regrettable.