'I'm Terribly Sorry': How to Apologize in English
It's said that being polite costs nothing. But when we want to apologize — to say we're sorry — it can sometimes be hard to choose the best words.
A simple "I'm sorry" may be enough. But if the mistake was a little more serious, you might need to say you're "so," "really" or "terribly" sorry.
In some formal situations, such as at work, you could even say: "I owe you an apology." Or you might say to the person: "Please accept my apologies."
You might also offer your "sincere" apologies — saying you really mean what you're saying.
But be careful, because the words "apologize" and "apology" usually sound a bit more serious than just "sorry" — so something formal like "My apologies" can sound sarcastic if used in an informal situation.
Among friends, you can often use informal language, of course.
For example, "My bad," is another way of saying "My mistake" or "It's my fault." You might even say, "That's on me" — meaning something is your fault.
You could also add an extra admission that it was your fault by saying something like: "I messed up," or "I dropped the ball."
A bit less modern is the phrase, "I beg your pardon."
That's when you're asking someone if they would please pardon you — forgive you — for what you've done.
This can also be used as a more formal way of saying "pardon me" and "excuse me."
If none of these apologies have worked, you might really need to beg, perhaps by saying: "Please forgive me."
Then just make sure you never make the same mistake again!
