say sorry

Meaning

A simple, conversational way to express an apology or ask for forgiveness when you have made a mistake or upset someone. It is highly common in everyday, informal relationships among family, friends, and partners.

Examples

• You should say sorry to your sister for breaking her favorite toy.

  You should say sorry to your sister for breaking her favorite toy.

• I know I made a mistake, and I want to say sorry for what happened.

  I know I made a mistake, and I want to say sorry for what happened.

• He refused to say sorry even though he knew he was completely wrong.

  He refused to say sorry even though he knew he was completely wrong.

• It is hard to say sorry sometimes, but it makes relationships much stronger.

  It is hard to say sorry sometimes, but it makes relationships much stronger.

• She called me last night just to say sorry for her behavior at the party.

  She called me last night just to say sorry for her behavior at the party.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I want to say sorry you.

  ✓ I want to say sorry to you.

  You must use the preposition 'to' before the person you are apologizing to.

• ✗ He said sorry about his late.

  ✓ He said sorry for being late.

  Use 'sorry for [verb-ing]' or 'sorry about [noun]' to explain the reason for the apology.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you hurt your friend's feelings, you need to ___.

  💡 Offer an apology.

  Show answer

  say sorry

• I just wanted to ___ for forgetting your birthday yesterday.

  💡 Express regret for a mistake.

  Show answer

  say sorry