How to Say Sorry in English: Phrases + Dialogue

Knowing how to say “sorry” is essential in any language – and English is no exception!

To apologise in a natural way in English, you need to learn different phrases for each stage of your apology.

And, you’ll also need to know what to say if someone says sorry to you..

In this lesson, you will learn how to say sorry – and accept other people’s apologies – just like a native speaker.

Contents

Saying sorry: example dialogue

Here is a natural English dialogue. It will show you how native speakers use different phrases to say sorry and accept apologies.

Kim tells Dave she is sorry because she can’t come to meet him because she has a dentist appointment. Dave is upset because he waited for a long time.

Listen to the recording (without reading the transcript) a few times. Try to recognise and understand the general meaning.
Read the breakdown of the apology below. This will help you understand language features of the dialogue you heard.
Listen again to the audio and read the transcript at the same time.

Saying sorry: phrases from the dialogue

Here’s a breakdown of key parts of the conversation, with explanations and alternative phrases you can use in similar situations.

1. Introduce the problem (in the right way)

When telling someone about bad news, we need to introduce it in a sensitive way. We often use phrases like “Look, I’m not sure how to say this, but..” to introduce apologies:

These kinds of phrases often start with “Hey”, “Look” or “Listen”, and end with “but..”:

In the example dialogue, Kim says:

“Hey, Dave, look, I’m sorry to tell you this, but…” = I’ve got some bad news..

We can also use these phrases to say the same thing:

“Look, I don’t know how to say this, but…”
“I really didn’t want to tell you this, but…”
“Look, I know this is going to sound awful, but…”
“I feel bad telling you this, but…”
“I hate to tell you this, but…”
“I wish I had better news, but…”
I’m not sure how you’re going to take this, but..”

2. I’m afraid I..

To say what the problem is, we often use the phrase, “I’m afraid..“. This is a common way to say: “I’m sorry that I (did something wrong”):

In the dialogue, Kim says:

“..I’m afraid I can’t make it today.” = I’m sorry to tell you that I can’t come to our meeting today.

3. I made a mistake!

When people apologise, they often take responsibility for the mistake by saying “It’s my fault..” or something similar.

In the dialogue, Kim doesn’t say the problem is her fault, but you could say:

“It’s (totally) my fault.”
“I messed up.”
“The buck stops with me.”
“I dropped the ball on this.”
“I didn’t handle this well.”

4. Expressing Regret

To make clear that we are VERY sorry about something, we use “regret” phrases, like “I feel awful!”

In the dialogue, Kim uses this phrase to say how bad she feels about the situation:

“I’m so sorry – I feel terrible!” = I feel really guilty / I regret what has happened.

You could also say these things to express regret:

“I feel awful about this.”
“I wish I could change what happened.”
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
“I regret what happened.”
“I’m genuinely sorry.”
“I feel really bad about it.”

5. Saying why or how it happened

However sorry you are about something, it’s always a good idea to say why or how it happened in the first place!

To explain the situation, Kim says:

“I was on my way to meet you, OK, but then I suddenly remembered I had a dental appointment.” = this is the reason why I am late.

Explanation: Kim explains why she can’t meet Dave.

“Something came up.”
“I had an emergency.”
“I got caught up in a situation I couldn’t avoid.”
“I had a last-minute issue.”
“I ran into an unexpected problem.”
“An urgent matter came up.”

6. Accepting the apology

If someone accepts your apology, they might say things like “Hey, no big deal!” to show that they are not angry with you.

In the dialogue, Dave says to Kim:

“Hey, no worries. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” = I accept your apology / I forgive you. You don’t need to feel bad about this.

You could also use these phrases to say you have accepted the other person’s apology:

“It’s OK, don’t worry about it.”
“These things happen.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It’s all good, don’t stress.”
“I understand, it’s not a problem.”
“Hey, it could happen to anyone.”

7. Thanks!

If the other person has accepted your apology, then why not thank them for not getting angry?

Kim says this to thank Dave for not getting angry with her:

“Well, look thanks for being so understanding anyway, Dave.” = Thank you for accepting my apology. I appreciate this.

You could also use these phrases to say thanks after someone has accepted your apology:

“Thanks for being so good about this”
“I really appreciate your understanding”

8. Reassure to complete the apology

To reassure the other person that you are really sorry, you might offer to “repay” them for your mistake or bad news.

In the example dialogue, Kim says:

“I’ll make it up to you.” = I will do something nice for you (maybe buy you a coffee) to repair our friendship.

“I owe you one.”
“I’ll make sure to make it right.”
“I’ll do my best to make up for this.”

Saying sorry: full dialogue transcript

Read through the dialogue transcript and listen to the audio to understand how to express an apology naturally.

Dave: Kim, where on earth are you?
Kim: Hey, Dave, look, I’m really sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t make it today.
Dave: Oh no! How come?
Kim: I’m sorry, but something’s come up.
Dave: But I’ve been standing in the street for half an hour! Why didn’t you call me earlier?
Kim: Look, I was on my way to meet you, OK, but then I suddenly remembered I had a dental appointment. And if I don’t go now, I’ll lose it. Like I said, I’m so sorry about this!
Dave: OK, well, I suppose it can’t be helped. Thanks for letting me know, anyway. I just wish you’d called me a bit earlier, that’s all.
Kim: I know, I’m so sorry – I feel terrible!
Dave: Hey, no worries. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I guess in a way, it’s not your fault, anyway. We’ll catch up another time, yeah?
Kim: Well, look thanks for being so understanding anyway, Dave. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.

Extra vocabulary from the dialogue

Here are some useful phrases with explanations to help you understand the dialogue:

Where on earth are you? = Where are you? I don’t understand!
I can’t make it = I cannot come (to an arranged event)
How come? = Why (not)?
Something’s come up = something (unexpected) has just happened.
in a way = somehow – if you see the situation in a different way
Like I said, .. = I’m going to say it again because it’s important
..that’s all = just – only (filler – sentence finisher)
We’ll catch up = we will meet again