Related Vocabulary
Entschuldigung / Tut Mir Leid / Verzeihung / Sorry
leider / etwas bedauern
Entschuldigung
die Entschuldigung
meaning: the apology, excuse
Ent - schuld - igung
The prefix - ent - to remove, take away something
die Schuld - the blame, fault
literal translation : to take away the guilt
sich entschuldigen
meaning: to offer one's apologies / to excuse oneself
Ich entschuldige mich bei dir.
I apologize to you.
Ich entschuldige mich aufrichtig. (formal)
I sincerely apologize.
Entschuldigung! (formal/informal)
Ich bitte Sie / dich um Entschuldigung.
I apologize. / I am sorry.
or literally translated; I ask for your forgiveness.
Entschuldigen Sie (formal)
Enschuldigen Sie mich, bitte.
Excuse me, please.
or literally translated; please take away my guilt / please forgive me
Entschuldige (informal)
Entschuldige mich, bitte.
Excuse me, please.
Therefore, the use of "Entschuldigung" is used only when you want to excuse your OWN misdoing / fault. BUT not when you do something which is significantly wrong
(ie. accidentally killed someone, lie to a friend etc) - you'd use "tut mir leid" instead.
It's often shortened to "Tschuldigung" in colloquial language.
In Swiss German, «Entschuldigung» is used the same way.
They may say «Schuldigung!» or «Exgüüsi!»
Tut mir leid.
unlike "Entschuldigung", "Tut mir leid" can be used for both situations;
when you are at fault OR even when you're not guilty of anything
das Leid
meaning: the sorrow, grief, misery
etwas tut jemandem leid
literal translation: something does (brings) someone sorrow
meaning: somebody is sorry about/for something
( Es / Das ) tut mir leid.
often shortened to just "tut mir leid"
literal translation: (It) does me sorrow.
meaning: I'm sorry.
Other ways to express tut mir leid:
Es tut mir wirklich leid.
I’m really sorry.
Es tut mir schrecklich leid.
I am terribly sorry.
Das tut mir wahnsinnig leid!
I'm incredibly sorry about that!
In Swiss German, it's «Tuet mer leid»
Verzeihung
This is used in formal situations, and is rather old fashioned
die Verzeihung
meaning: the forgiveness, pardon
jemanden (für etwas) um Verzeihung bitten
meaning: to ask somebody for forgiveness (for something)
Ich bitte um Verzeihung.
literal translation: I ask for your forgiveness
meaning: My apologies. / I beg your pardon.
Verzeihen Sie bitte. (formal)
Excuse me.
Verzeihung! (formal)
Verzeihung! Das wollte ich nicht.
Sorry, I didn’t mean it.
Verzeihung?
Pardon me?
"Verzeihung" and "Entschuldigung" are synonyms, with "Entschuldigung" being more common and can also be used in informal situation. However the use of "Verzeihung" is very limited, usually used only as an interjection like "Verzeihung!"
As opposed to "eine Entschuldigung", there is no "eine Verzeihung"
1) eine Entschuldigung - an excuse note (for school)
Parents will usually have to write an excuse note if their children cannot attend school
Ich habe für Alex eine Entschuldigung für die Schule geschrieben.
I wrote an excuse note for Alex for school.
2) eine Entschuldigung -an apology
Wir erwarten eine offizielle Entschuldigung.
We expect an official apology.
3) als Entschuldigung - As an apology / by way of apology
Als Entschuldigung kaufe ich dir ein Eis.
By way of apology, I'll buy you an ice cream.
jemandem vergeben = verzeihen
vergeben is the synonym of verzeihen which means to forgive somebody
However it is not used as interjection like "Verzeihung!" and its usage is limited to only asking for forgiveness, and not expressing "excuse me" or "sorry" like verzeihen.
Bitte vergib mir!
Please forgive me!
Sorry
It's quite common that "Sorry" is used instead of "Entschuldigung"
(among younger people and not with older people though)
However it's colloquial and informal.
It's also not a German word and is merely taken over from English.
Leider
"leider" is an adverb, which means unfortunately
It can also mean "I am afraid..." or "I am sorry to say that..."
"Leider" is often used to express one's regrets for something (eg. not able to do something for someone), but not necessarily due to his/her fault. It's only suitable for minor inconveniences caused on someone else
It's not used to apologize in the same way as the rest (above).
Ich habe leider keine Zeit. I' m afraid I don't have time. / I' m sorry, but I don't have time.
Leider müssen wir jetzt gehen.
Unfortunately, we have to go now.
etwas bedauern
verb: to regret, to feel sorry
This verb expresses your sorry or regret for someone or the situation,
whether or not it's your fault or someone else's.
Wir bedauern, Ihnen mitteilen zu müssen, dass...
We regret to inform you that... / We are sorry to inform you that...
Ich bedauere sehr, das verpasst zu haben.
I am really sorry to have missed that.
Ich bedaure dich wegen deines Unglücks.
I am sorry for your misfortune.
Situations where you'll use "sorry" in English and their translation according to context in German
- and how to respond to them
note that you can say "sorry" in more than one way in certain situations below, they are not limited to just one way of expressing things. Below are just examples.
You forgot someone's birthday
(Es) tut mir leid, dass ich deinen Geburtstag vergessen habe.
Bitte sei nicht böse auf mich.
I'm sorry that I forgot your birthday. Please don't be mad at me.
Response: Schon gut! (It's okay!)
You gave wrong information about a project to your boss
Bitte nehmen Sie meine Entschuldigung an. Das wollte ich nicht.
Es wird sicher nie mehr vorkommen.
Please accept my apology. I didn't mean it. It will certainly never happen again.
Response: Das macht nichts. (It doesn't matter.)
You accidentally drop a glass of wine on a carpet at your friend's place.
Es tut mir schrecklich leid. Ich kaufe dir einen neuen Teppich. /
Ich bezahle die Reinigung des Teppichs.
I am terribly sorry. I'll buy you a new carpet / I'll pay for the cleaning of the carpet.
Response: Keine Sorge. (No worries.)
You misunderstood or misread something minor
Ups, entschuldigung, mein Fehler! Ich sollte richtig gelesen haben.
Oops, sorry my bad! I should have read properly.
Response: Kein Problem! (No problem!)
You didn't manage to finish a project at work on time
Ich bedauere sehr, dass ich das Projekt nicht rechtzeitig fertiggestellt habe.
Es war meine Schuld. Ich übernehme die volle Verantwortung.
I am very sorry that I did not finish the project in time. It was my fault. I take full responsibility.
Response: Es ist in Ordnung. (It is all right.)
You are late to a meeting.
Ich entschuldige mich, dass ich Sie warten ließ.
My apologies for keeping you waiting.
Response: Alles gut. (Everything's fine, don't worry)
You are late to a meet a friend.
Entschuldige, dass ich mich verspätet habe.
Sorry that I am late. You can also say tut mir leid here, but it's stronger than just saying Entschuldigung. You may say this if your action has caused a big problem or brought big inconvenience.
Tut mir leid, dass ich zu spät komme.
I am sorry that I am late.
Response: Macht nichts! (Don't worry!)
You said something you shouldn't have said to a friend.
Ich würde mich gerne entschuldigen. Ich habe einige schreckliche Dinge zu dir gesagt.
Ich hoffe, du verzeihst mir.
I would like to apologize. I said some terrible things to you. I hope you forgive me.
Response: Schon gut, mach dir nichts draus. (It's okay, don't worry about it.) /
Alles gut, ich verzeihe dir. (All good, I forgive you)
The shipment that you sent to your customers are delayed due to a natural disaster.
Wir bedauern, Ihnen mitteilen zu müssen, dass sich Ihre Lieferung verzögern wird. Wir entschuldigen uns für die entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten.
We regret to inform you that your delivery will be delayed.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
This statement is usually sent via e-mail to inform customers about delayed shipment, there is no response needed.
Your son played with a ball and accidentally broke your neighbour's window.
Der Vorfall tut mir wirklich leid. Es wird nicht wieder vorkommen.
Wie kann ich es wieder gutmachen?
I am really sorry about the incident. It will not happen again. How can I make it up to you?
Response: Machen Sie sich nichts draus. (Don't worry)
You're in a café with friends. There is an extra chair at next table which you need.
Entschuldigung / Entschuldigen Sie bitte, sitzt hier jemand?
Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?
You use "Entschuldigung" instead of "tut mir leid" because you're excusing for interrupting other people; it's like you want to other person to remove the guilt from you.
Response: Hier sitzt niemand. (No one is sitting here.) / Dieser Stuhl ist nicht besetzt.
Sie können ihn nehmen. (This chair is not occupied. You can take it.)
You walked pass someone and accidentally bump into him/her.
Entschuldigung! / Verzeihung! Sorry!
Response: Alles gut, nichts passiert! (All good, nothing happened!)
You want to walk pass someone but there isn't enough space to walk through.
Entschuldigen Sie, darf ich bitte durch? (shortened from durchgehen) Excuse me, can I get through, please?
A more shortened version of this which can be used as well
"Darf ich mal?" which means "May I?"
Response: Ja, klar! / Bitte! (Yes sure! / Go ahead!)
You want to ask passer-by for direction to the train station.
Entschuldigen Sie bitte, wie komme ich von hier aus zum Bahnhof? Excuse me, how do I get to the station from here?
The response is to give the direction to the train station. /
Tut mir leid, ich weiß es nicht. (I'm sorry, I don't know.)
You saw someone accidentally drop their wallet on the street.
You want to get their attention.
Entschuldigen Sie, Herr! / Entschuldigen Sie, Frau!
Excuse me, sir! / Excuse me, madam!
Response: Oh je! Danke, dass Sie es mich wissen lassen!
(Oh my! Thank you for letting me know!)
You couldn't hear properly what the other person said and so you ask for a repeat.
Verzeihung? / Wie bitte? Das habe ich nicht verstanden.
Pardon? / Excuse me? I did not understand that.
Respond by repeating what was said before
"Wie bitte" (Pardon?) is used more commonly in this context.
One may also say "Was?" (what?) when he/she didn't understand what was being said but it's impolite and used only with close friends or family
Your friend's close one has just past away.
Herzliches Beileid / Mein (aufrichtiges) Beileid /
Heartfelt condolences. / My (sincere) condolences.
Mein tiefstes Mitgefühl und aufrichtiges Beileid.
My deepest sympathy and sincere condolences.
When you are sorry for somebody, you cannot use "Entschuldigung"
because you have no guilt / fault to be taken away.
Response:
Vielen Dank für Ihr Mitgefühl. (formal) (Thank you for your sympathy.)
Vielen Dank für all deine Unterstützung in dieser schwierigen Zeit. (informal)
(Thank you for all your support during this difficult time.)
Your friend told you that he lost his job.
Es tut mir leid, das zu hören. Ich hoffe, du kannst bald einen Job finden.
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you can find a job soon.
Response: Danke, das hoffe ich auch. (Thank you, I hope so too.)
Your friend shares his/her experience of misfortune or unfortunate circumstances (eg. got robbed, had car accident, fired from job, failed exam...)
Es tut mir leid, dass dir das passiert ist.
I’m sorry that happened to you.
Der Autounfall tut mir leid für dich.
I'm sorry for you about the car accident.
Meine Gedanken sind bei dir.
My thoughts are with you. / My heart goes out to you.
Response: Vielen Dank für deine Unterstützung und deine Gebete.
(Thank you for your support and prayers.)
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