DON'T SAY "SORRY!" | BETTER English vocabulary to sound like a NATIVE | How to Apologise

Hi there, this is Harry, welcome back  to Advanced English lessons with Harry,  

where I tried to help you to get a better  understanding of the English language,  

you might be trying to improve your business  English or simply your conversational English.

And in this particular lesson, we want to talk  about and look at expressions that will help  

you in your conversation. So we've got today an  advanced English lesson. And we're looking at  

expressions that you can use about apologising  and admitting fault. So they're not... I'm not  

going to give you examples, I'm going to show  you how you can use them, because they're really  

informal in most situations, and they're  informal expressions that you can drop into  

your conversation. So like always, you'll need  to practice them to see how you can use them,  

but they're not so many of them, I've got  10. So I'll go through them with you. And  

then I'll give you an example. And then we  can work from there. Okay, number one, oh,  

I do apologise. It was completely my fault. It was  entirely my fault. So it's quite polite, okay. So  

it's a nice polite way to apologise. And it's not  so informal. So it's quite formal. I do apologise,  

it was my fault, completely or entirely. So  perhaps you're in the supermarket, and you're  

reaching up to get something and somebody else is  reaching up and the jar falls down and smashes on  

the floor and you turn to the person. Look, I'm  really sorry, I do apologise, it was completely  

my fault. I'll get the manager or somebody to  come and clean up the mess. Okay. Number two,  

I'm sorry, that wasn't very tactful of me. So  you might have said something inadvertently,  

or you might have made some reference to  somebody's weight or, Oh, you're... you've  

look as if you've put on a few pounds or a few  kilos, or oops, I shouldn't have said that. Look,  

I'm really sorry, that wasn't very tactful of me.  So you're sorry for having mentioned or referred  

to the person's weight. Okay, so you're probably  trying to be nice and polite, but it didn't turn  

out that way. So I'm sorry, that wasn't very  tactful of me. And to be tactful means to know  

when to say something. And when not. So that's all  about being tactful. Number three, I don't know  

what came over me. Okay. So this is when we say  something that, really, we definitely shouldn't  

have said, I don't know what came over me. But we  can't understand why we said it. Because there's  

not like us. So, you know, I don't know what came  over me. So perhaps when something happened, or  

the report wasn't on your desk, and you shouted a  new screen. Where's it? Where's that? Where's that  

bloody report? No, look, I'm really really sorry.  I don't know what came over me. I've just been so  

uptight with this report, I really want to get it  off my desk. So I apologise for saying some rude  

words. So I don't know what came over me. So it's  a way of apologising. Or in the same situation,  

I had no rights to take it out on you, I had no  rights, take it out on you. So if you shout at  

your PA or you shout at one of the people working  on your team, and you not because they have done  

something, but because you're annoyed because you  made a mistake, or you're annoyed because your  

boss has asked you to work late or he wasn't so  happy with the report you issued. So you shout or  

you get very techy, with somebody working for you.  And then you say, Look, I'm really really sorry,  

I had no rights, take it out on you. And what  it means is that no right? To show you that I  

was angry, and it wasn't that I was angry with  you. I was angry with myself. I was angry with  

the boss because you had the report didn't go down  so well. So I had no right to take it out. I knew  

I shouldn't have shouted or screamed or  shown my anger to you. Next number five,  

it was inexcusable of me. I'd say this is another  quite formal way to say it was inexcusable. Get  

the word out eventually, it was inexcusable of me  to use those words in front of you. I am really,  

really sorry. There's no excuse. That's what it  means. There's no excuse. It was inexcusable of  

me, I hope you can forgive me. I won't do it  again. It was inexcusable of me. Number six,  

I was out of line or I was completely out of  line. So this is less formal. I was out of line.  

Meaning that's not my way of dealing with things.  I shouldn't have said it. Even if I was angry. I  

had no right to take it out on you. So when you're  out of line, you mean you've stepped out of the  

normal line of doing things as a way of dealing  with a problem. I was out of line. So perhaps  

you're ringing up to complain to some helpdesk  because your mobile phone doesn't work or some  

tickets you ordered didn't arrive or the Amazon  package got lost whatever it is you're ringing up  

to complain and then when the person on the other  end of the phone isn't really answering you in the  

way you feel it should then you get a little bit  out agree and you say things like, well, like,  

what are you doing? Isn't it your job to find out?  Shouldn't you know what happened to my parcel,  

blah, blah, blah, blah. And then you stop and  you're thinking, Okay, this is only a person on  

the other end of the telephone trying to do their  job. So you say, Look, I'm really sorry, I was out  

of line, I shouldn't have said that. I know you're  there to help. Let me give you the contact number,  

or let me give you the reference number I have.  And you get back to me when you can. So I'm sorry,  

I was out of line. I shouldn't have said  that. Number seven, in the same way, when  

somebody says something a little bit heated, that  perhaps said something in the heat of the moment,  

they got excited, got angry, then they can  use an expression like, Look, I'm sorry,  

I guess I just overreacted. They just overreacted.  So you are looking for something you're the report  

needs to be in by midday, you're waiting for  those tables to be produced, or the data to be  

dropped into the report and you start sending some  annoying emails? Where is it? Look, I'm sitting  

here waiting. I don't know where it is. What how  am I going to get this report finished, and you  

send this type of email and people are getting a  little bit anxious because you are you're getting  

more and more annoyed. And then finally,  somebody says, Well, look, I sent it to you an  

hour ago. And he said, but I don't have it. And  so we'll look in your spam. And then of course,  

the email is sitting in your spam box. And you  have it so Okay, guys, look, I'm sorry, I guess  

it just overreacted. A little bit tense boss is  waiting for the report, you know, the way it is.  

So you apologise, it won't happen. Again, I guess  I overreacted I should have looked more carefully  

and more closely at the emails that I had. And  then again, if you want to use something really  

informal, when you've made a bit of a mistake,  and you know, you really have to apologise,  

but the apology isn't going to be strong enough.  You say, Look, I'm such an idiot, I really, really  

shouldn't react that way. I'm the second idiot. Or  as we would say, in Ireland. I'm such a tool. So  

a tool means it's a rude word. In that sense for  an idiot. I'm such an idiot. I feel like a tool,  

a complete tool. What did I do? Look, I completely  overreacted. My apologies. Or just very simply  

very straightforward, very informal. Well, look,  you can blame me for that. That's all my fault. I  

meant to get the report in today, I was supposed  to send you guys an email, I forgot all about it,  

I went home, and I forgot. And like it's just too  late. I'll take the blame for it. So you can blame  

me for that. So the boss starts pushing you for  the report, just put them on to me. I'll tell him  

it was all my fault. You can blame me for that.  And then finally, when you have made a mistake,  

when you have stepped out of line, when you have  said something that you shouldn't have said,  

whatever it is that's caused the upset, then you  can apologise. And you can end it by saying, Well,  

how can I make it up to you? So that's great.  It's a good way to get somebody back on side, you  

forget the birthday, how can I make it up to you?  You shouted at our PA or someone on your team,  

Look, I'm really sorry, how can I make it up to  you? So anytime that you've stepped out of line,  

anytime that you've made a real faux pas, anytime  that you've taken it out on somebody that you  

had no right to do, then you can use this line?  How can I make it up to you and then hopefully,  

everything will be better okay. So, there are 10  particular expressions where you can apologise  

or you can admit fault in some way. So, practice  them try to use them try to introduce them into  

your language. So if you have any questions or  you have any issues then you can write to me  

at the end of this lesson or anytime you wish.  www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Okay, so this is  

Harry saying thank you very much for watching  this particular lesson and join me again soon.