People in the UK like saying ‘sorry’ a lot! Learn different ways of apologising with Sam in this English In A Minute.
Sam
Hi, I’m Sam from BBC Learning English.
People in the UK have a reputation for saying sorry a lot, so let’s have a look at different ways you can use to do this.
So:
– You can say sorry
– You can be sorry
– And you can apologise
In each case, you use the preposition to with a person and for to give the reason you’re apologising:
I said sorry to my friend for forgetting her birthday.
After for you can use a gerund or a noun.
But if you want a simple statement to say I was wrong, you can use any of these.
Careful who you say these to – my bad! is very informal and you would probably only say it after making a small mistake.
It won’t happen again is probably better in more serious situations.
Ways to say ‘sorry’ – part 1
There are different ways you can use to express your apologies.
– You can say sorry
– You can be sorry
– You can apologise
You use the preposition to with a person to say who you are apologising to.
You use the preposition for to give the reason you are apologising. After for you can use a gerund or a noun.
- I said sorry to my friend for breaking his vase.
- I apologised to Bob for the mess.
If you want a simple statement to say ‘I was wrong’, you can use any of these:
– My bad!
– My mistake.
– My apologies.
– It’s all my fault.
– Please forgive me.
– I take full responsibility.
– It won’t happen again.
Careful who you say these to – my bad! is very informal and you would probably only say it after making a small mistake.
It won’t happen again is probably better in more serious situations.