Choose the job before the phrase
| Job | German example | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Get attention | Entschuldigung, ist dieser Platz noch frei? | Ask your question. |
| Acknowledge a mistake | Es tut mir leid. Ich habe die falsche Datei geschickt. | Offer the correct file. |
| Show sympathy | Das tut mir leid. | Listen; you are not admitting that you caused the event. |
Make a small interruption politely
Entschuldigung, wo ist der Ausgang? opens a question without pretending you have done something seriously wrong. At a crowded table, Entschuldigung, darf ich kurz vorbei? asks for space. A complete request is clearer than repeating sorry several times.
Entschuldigung, können Sie mir kurz helfen?
Formal address to someone you do not know.
Entschuldige bitte die Unterbrechung.
Informal singular address. Follow with the actual question.
Apologise and repair the specific problem
Name the action accurately: Ich habe dein Heft mitgenommen. Then explain what you can do now. An explanation can help, but a long account of your intentions does not replace returning the notebook. The other person may still need a solution or time; an apology does not require them to say Schon gut.
- Lea
- Entschuldige bitte, ich habe dein Heft mitgenommen.
- Amir
- Ich brauche es heute noch.
- Lea
- Das tut mir leid. Ich bringe es dir um drei.
- Amir
- Danke. Gib mir bitte vorher kurz Bescheid.
Keep sympathy separate from responsibility
If someone says their trip was cancelled, Das tut mir leid can express sympathy. You are not saying you cancelled it. If you personally sent the wrong booking details, add what you did and how you will correct it. Context changes the function of the same short formula.
- What happened? ______
- Was it my action, an interruption or someone else’s difficulty? ______
- My first sentence: ______
- A useful repair or next question: ______
Six tasks to practise
Try each task before opening the answer. Open tasks show one model; equivalent appropriate answers are also possible.
You want to ask a stranger where the lift is. Write an opening.
Answer and explanation
Entschuldigung, wo ist der Aufzug?
This gets attention and asks the actual question.
Choose formal address: Entschuldige / Entschuldigen Sie bitte.
Answer and explanation
Entschuldigen Sie bitte.
Sie requires the formal form; Entschuldige addresses one person as du.
You sent the wrong file. Add a useful repair to “Das tut mir leid.”
Answer and explanation
Ich schicke Ihnen sofort die richtige Datei.
The model offers a concrete correction without inventing an excuse.
A friend says their train was cancelled. Can “Das tut mir leid” express sympathy?
Answer and explanation
Yes.
It can express regret about their difficulty without accepting responsibility for the cancellation.
In the dialogue, when will Lea return the notebook?
Answer and explanation
Um drei.
The repair has a specific time; Amir still needs it that day.
Must someone reply “Schon gut” after an apology?
Answer and explanation
No.
They may need a practical solution or time. Write a response that fits the actual situation.
Questions learners ask
Is Es tut mir leid stronger than Entschuldigung?
It often makes regret explicit, but context and the next sentence matter more than a fixed strength ranking.
Can I say Sorry in German?
You may hear it in informal conversation. Learn Entschuldigung and Es tut mir leid as useful German options across more situations.