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Koralgolster Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

Sorry vs. excuse me

I've always thought that the expression "(I'm) sorry" is used exclusively to apologise, when you did something wrong and regret, and when you want to ask someone politely to get off your way, you should say "excuse me", but I noticed that some people in England (also some native speakers) say "I'm sorry". Is it correct? Or is it just influence of other languages (in Polish there is one word used in both situations).
  

Top answer

Hello, Koralgoster-- and welcome to English Forums. 'Sorry' in that situation is certainly less common, but native speakers do use a variety of courtesies: 'sorry', 'pardon', 'excuse me', in passing through others. The idea, I suppose, is 'Sorry [if I've bumped you, interrupted, etc].

— Mister Micawber

  • Hello, Koralgoster-- and welcome to English Forums.
  • 'Sorry' in that situation is certainly less common, but native speakers do use a variety of courtesies: 'sorry', 'pardon', 'excuse me', in passing through others.
  • The idea, I suppose, is 'Sorry [if I've bumped you, interrupted, etc].
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7 Answers
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Hello, Koralgoster-- and welcome to English Forums.

'Sorry' in that situation is certainly less common, but native speakers do use a variety of courtesies: 'sorry', 'pardon', 'excuse me', in passing through others. The idea, I suppose, is 'Sorry [if I've bumped you, interrupted, etc].
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Sounds reasonable. Thanks Emotion: smile
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According to Macmillan Dictionary,excuse me is used fo:

1- politely getting someone's attention

2- showing you are sorry for interrupting someone

3-asking someone to move so that you can get past them

4-politely telling someone you are leaving


Sorry is used for :

1-emphasizing how bad,stupid,or e
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Too prescriptive. These kinds of interjections are used much more freely than that. In general, I find the Macmillan Dictionary oversimplified and not very thorough. I seldom use it. I recommend [url=http://www.onelook.com/]ONE LOOK[/url].
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KoralgolsterI noticed that some people in England (also some native speakers) say "I'm sorry". Is it correct?
It's correct. I noticed the same thing when I travelled in England, and so did one of my travel companions. In fact, one of my guidebooks mentioned it, advising Americans not to say "Excuse me" if they accidentally bump into someone while visiting th
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thaaanks very complete!
: )
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The above answer is partially right - if you bump into someone,then "sorry" would be the polite thing to say in British English ("excuse me" be be interpreted as sarcasm), however if you require someone to move out of your way then "excuse me please" is what I and many other native speakers would say. The use of "sorry" in this context is a recent development, and one that many of us do not
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