{"id":119373,"date":"2023-05-16T16:01:12","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T20:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/sorry-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T09:07:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T14:07:58","slug":"sorry-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/sorry-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Sorry in French: 16+ Ways to Apologize"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to learning a language, making mistakes is inevitable<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Thus, it’s helpful to know how to say “sorry” in French.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It may not always be pleasant, but being able to excuse yourself, apologize and accept responsibility will expand your French skills.\u00a0It will also enhance your ability to truly connect with native French speakers.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e <\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I am sorry<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> The standard apology<\/p>\n

Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e <\/em>is by far the most common and one of the broadest ways to apologize<\/strong>. It’s essentially the equivalent of “I am sorry” in English.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fully appropriate in several contexts including making a mistake, realizing you offended someone, using the wrong word, etc.<\/p>\n

Grammatical gender<\/a> won’t affect how this phrase is pronounced, but if you’re writing it out, you’ll need to add an “-e” for the female form.<\/p>\n

Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9e<\/strong>, mais je dois partir t\u00f4t.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am sorry, but I have to leave early.)<\/p>\n

To explain or confess what you’re apologizing for, you may employ\u00a0de\u00a0<\/em>and an infinitive verb<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9<\/strong>\u00a0de vous t\u00e9l\u00e9phoner si tard.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am sorry to call you this late.)<\/p>\n

You can also use que<\/em> (that) and an independent clause (a phrase that could stand alone as its own sentence) with the verb in the subjunctive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9<\/strong> que le poulet soit un peu br\u00fbl\u00e9.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am sorry the chicken is a little burnt.)<\/p>\n

2. Je suis vraiment d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e <\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I am very sorry<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> To emphasize your sincerity<\/p>\n

This is a more extreme apology to use if you want to express that you’re not just sorry, but you’re\u00a0very\u00a0<\/em>sorry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Je suis vraiment\u00a0<\/strong>d\u00e9sol\u00e9e<\/b> pour votre perte.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am very sorry for your loss.)<\/p>\n

3. D\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e<\/em> \u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Sorry<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> Informal<\/p>\n

If you want to say sorry a little quicker, you can simply say\u00a0desol\u00e9\/e. <\/em>This can be seen as a bit more informal or less of an intense apology, so just be careful when you use it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

D\u00e9sol\u00e9<\/i><\/b>, j’ai oubli\u00e9.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(Sorry, I forgot.)<\/p>\n

4. Je regrette <\/em>\u2014\u00a0I am sorry<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>Another standard but less common apology<\/p>\n

Je regrette<\/em> is less common, but its use is similar to that of\u00a0je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Just as it looks and sounds,\u00a0je regrette\u00a0<\/em>literally means “I regret,” but is generally translated and used as “I am sorry.”<\/p>\n

You may also employ\u00a0de\u00a0<\/em>and an infinitive verb or\u00a0que\u00a0<\/em>and an independent clause with a subjunctive verb, as with\u00a0je suis d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Je regrette<\/strong> de vous t\u00e9l\u00e9phoner si tard.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am sorry to call you this late.)<\/p>\n

Je regrette<\/strong> que le poulet soit un peu br\u00fbl\u00e9.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I am sorry that the chicken is a little burnt.)<\/p>\n

5. Je suis au regret de vous informer <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 I regret to inform you<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>Reserved for formal or professional settings<\/p>\n

This one’s a bit more formal and you probably wouldn’t use it for something casual. You’d probably hear this more in a professional setting.<\/p>\n

Je suis au regret de vous informer<\/strong> que je ne peux pas aller \u00e0 la conf\u00e9rence.\u00a0<\/em>
\n(I regret to inform you that I can’t go to the conference.)<\/p>\n

6. Pardon <\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Pardon<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>The\u00a0quick apology<\/p>\n

This one is quite similar to its English counterpart. It stands alone and is most commonly used to ask someone to repeat what they said<\/strong>\u00a0or as a simple apology upon bumping into someone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pardon<\/strong>, j’ai tr\u00e9buch\u00e9.\u00a0<\/em>
\n(Sorry, I tripped.)<\/p>\n

7. Pardonnez-moi <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Forgive me<\/h2>\n

Informal version:<\/strong> Pardonne-moi<\/em>
\nUsage: <\/strong>Alternative for standard apologies<\/p>\n

You can issue a stronger apology by employing this phrase that’s closely related to pardon<\/em>. The informal version uses the tu<\/em> form while the formal version uses the vous<\/em> form.<\/p>\n

Pardonnez-moi.<\/strong> C’\u00e9tait un accident.<\/em>
\n(Forgive me. It was an accident.)<\/p>\n

8. Excusez-moi <\/em>\u2014 Excuse me<\/h2>\n

Informal version: <\/strong>Excuse-moi<\/em>
\nUsage: <\/strong> Getting someone’s attention<\/p>\n

Excusez-moi <\/em>also has a similar function as\u00a0pardon<\/em><\/strong>: asking for clarification, getting onto a crowded m\u00e9tro train, etc.<\/p>\n

Excusez-moi.<\/strong> Qu’est-ce que vous avez dit ?\u00a0
\n<\/i>(Excuse me. What did you say?)<\/p>\n

Although this term is more likely to come up in a formal situation<\/strong>, keep in mind that you can also use the informal version of this phrase (taken from the\u00a0tu\u00a0<\/em>conjugated form of\u00a0excuser<\/em>).<\/p>\n

9. Excusez-moi de vous d\u00e9ranger <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Excuse me for bothering you<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>Extra polite way of getting someone’s attention<\/p>\n

French culture tends to be formal. Thus, opening a conversation with excusez-moi de vous\u00a0<\/em>d\u00e9ranger<\/i> is a polite way to ask for help.<\/p>\n

Starting with such a show of respect can make someone more willing to give you directions or answer a question.<\/p>\n

Excusez-moi de vous d\u00e9ranger<\/strong>. Savez-vous o\u00f9 se trouve la boulangerie ?\u00a0
\n<\/em>(Sorry to bother you. Do you know where the bakery is?)<\/p>\n

10. Je m’excuse <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 I apologize<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>To apologize for minor mistakes or offenses<\/p>\n

This one is a bit funky as it literally means “I excuse myself.” For this reason, it’s not as commonly used as other ways to apologize, but it’s good to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Je m’excuse<\/strong> d’\u00eatre en retard.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(I apologize for being late.)<\/p>\n

11. C’est (de) ma faute <\/em>\u2014 It’s my fault<\/h2>\n

Usage: <\/strong>To take responsibility<\/p>\n

If you wish to emphasize your sincerity<\/strong>, you could go a step further than\u00a0d\u00e9sol\u00e9\/e<\/em>\u00a0and confess that you did indeed do something wrong with\u00a0c’est ma faute<\/em> or\u00a0c’est de<\/strong> ma faute.<\/em> The former version is technically correct but the latter is very common.<\/p>\n

This could be a good component of a longer apology or explanation, the kind you might give upon offending a friend.<\/p>\n

C’est (de) ma faute<\/strong>. C’\u00e9tait moi qui a pris ton parapluie. Je ne savais pas que c’\u00e9tait \u00e0 toi.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(It’s my fault. It was me who took your umbrella. I didn’t know it was yours.)<\/p>\n

Similarly, you could use this phrase if you’re discussing a past offense:<\/p>\n

C’\u00e9tait (de) ma faute.<\/strong>
\n<\/em>(It was my fault.)<\/p>\n

12. Veuillez nous excuser <\/em>\u2014 Please excuse us<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> Text-based professional apology<\/p>\n

This one is more for comprehension than for usage, as it’s very formal and rarely said aloud.<\/p>\n

It’s most often used in a business or professional context, such as in a letter from a company or on a sign at a store.<\/p>\n

Veuillez nous excuser<\/strong> pour cette erreur.\u00a0
\n<\/em>(Please excuse us for this error.)<\/p>\n

To see these phrases used in context, try looking out for them when watching French videos. FluentU<\/a> could be helpful for this.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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