In French, “je suis désolé” is not the only way to say “sorry”. This post will explore ten useful ways of expressing “sorry” or regrets. Keep reading!

désolé

sorry

Sorry in French

1) I’m so sorry

In French, the adverb tellement translates to both “so”.

Je suis encore en retard. Je suis tellement désolé!

I’m late again. I’m so sorry!

2) I’m really sorry

You can also use vraiment to mean “really” sorry.

Je suis vraiment désolé mais je ne peux pas venir.

I’m really sorry but I can’t come.

3) I’m sorry to

To express I’m sorry to, as in “I’m sorry to inform you”, use the following grammatical construction: Je suis désolé de + object pronoun + infinitive.

Nous sommes désolés de vous informer que Marc ne vient pas.

We’re sorry to inform you that Marc isn’t coming.

4) Sorry!

Another way to say sorry is simply “Pardon!”.

Ah, pardon! Je vous ai coupé la parole.

Sorry, I interrupted you.

5) Forgive me

The verb pardonner translates to “to forgive”. Hence, the expressions “pardonnez-moi” and “pardonne-moi” both translate to pardon me, forgive me and I’m sorry.

Pardonnez-moi. J’ai encore oublié.

I’m sorry. I forgot again.

6) Excuse me

Excuse me in French is excusez-moi (formal) and excuse-moi (informal).

Excuse-moi. Je n’ai pas compris.

Excuse me. I didn’t understand.

Excusez-moi. Où est la gare?

Excuse me. Where’s the train station?

7) To regret to

A formal way of saying sorry is être au regret de.

Nous sommes au regret d’annoncer que tous les vols sont suspendus.

We’re sorry to announce that all the flights are canceled.

8) Using the word “navré”

In French, désolé and navré as synonyms. However, navré is much more formal.

Je suis navré. J’ai fait une erreur.

I’m sorry. I made an error.

9) To feel sorry

To express feeling sorry, use the verb regretter.

Je regrette de ne pas avoir aider.

I’m sorry for not helping.

10) I’m sorry for your loss

To express that you’re sorry for a loss, use the expression: “Toutes mes condoléances”.

Toutes mes condoléances. Votre mère va manquer à toute la communauté.

Sorry for your loss. Your mom will be missed by the entire community.

David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com

David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

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