We all make mistakes. And, very often, communication is key to resolve a tricky situation. But what do we do if it happens abroad? Don’t worry, we have you covered — at least inFrench!
Whether you bumped into somebody on the Champs-Elysées or you forgot your rendez-vous with your Québécois friend, learning how to say sorry in French is some of the most useful vocabulary to get familiar with. Ok, maybe after thank you and you’re welcome.
From “Je suis désolé(e)” to “Toutes mes excuses” and “Excusez-moi”, we have compiled the best way to apologize in French. Pardon my French!
How to say I’m sorry in French
The proper way to say pardon me in French depends on the situation. The tables below will help you to find the most appropriate expressions to apologize:
- If you have hurt someone
- If something bad happened to someone you care about
- If you bump into, or want to get past someone
- If you need somebody to repeat something
- If you need to apologize in French in a professional environment
Most expressions can be used with “vous” or “tu”, but we also added the context when needed.
How to say sorry to someone you have hurt
Have you messed up? While you can’t turn back time, an apology goes a long way. And we’re here to help you out!
| English | French | IPA | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| I’m truly sorry | Je suis vraiment désolé(e) | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle(ɛ) | |
| I’m very sorry | Je suis désolé(e) | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) | |
| I’m deeply sorry | Je suis profondément désolé(e) | ʒə sɥi pɾɔfõdemə dezɔle(ɛ) | |
| I’m sincerely sorry | Je suis sincèrement désolé(e) | ʒə sɥi sɛ̃sɛɾəmə dezɔle(ɛ) | |
| I feel terrible, I’m so sorry | Je m’en veux, je suis vraiment désolé(e) | ʒə mɑ̃ vø, ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle(ɛ) | |
| I’m so sorry, that was thoughtless of me | Je suis vraiment désolé, c'était inconsidéré de ma part. | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle, setɛt‿ ɛ̃kõsideɾe də ma paɾ. | |
| I’m very sorry for the way I behaved | Je suis vraiment désolé(e) de la façon dont je me suis comporté(e) | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle də la fasõ dõ ʒə mə sɥi kõpɔɾte(ɛ). | |
| I apologize, I was out of line | Je m'excuse, j'ai dépassé les bornes | ʒə mɛkskyzə, ʒe depasele bɔɾnə | |
| I apologize for my behavior | Je m'excuse pour mon comportement | ʒə mɛkskyzə puɾ mõ kõpɔɾtəmə | |
| I’m sorry, it was my fault | Je suis désolé(e), c'était ma faute | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ), sete ma fotə | |
| I’m so sorry about what I did | Je suis vraiment désolé(e) de ce que j'ai fait | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle(ɛ) də sə kə ʒe fe | |
| What I did was wrong | J’ai eu tort de faire ça | ʒey tɔɾ də fɛɾə sa | |
| I’m sorry I hurt you | Je suis désolé(e) de t'avoir fait du mal | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) də tavwaɾ blɛse(ɛ) | Informal |
| I didn’t mean to hurt you | Je ne voulais pas te faire de mal | ʒə nə vule pa tə fɛɾə də mal | Informal |
How to say you are sorry when something bad has happened to someone you care about
Empathy is a wonderful quality, but it can be hard to convey in a foreign language. Here are a few things you can say if something bad has happened to a French speaking friend or someone you care about.
| English | French | IPA | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| I’m so sorry to hear that | Je suis vraiment désolé(e) d'entendre ça | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle(ɛ) dɑ̃tɑ̃dɾə sa | |
| My deepest sympathies | Mes sincères condoléances | me sɛ̃sɛɾə kõdɔleɑ̃sə | Someone is deceased |
| I’m sorry that happened to you | Je suis désolé(e) que cela vous soit arrivé | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) kə səla vu swat‿ arive | |
| I’m really sorry for you | Je suis vraiment désolé(e) pour vous | ʒə sɥi vɾɛmə dezɔle(ɛ) puɾ vu | |
| I’m devastated for you | Je suis navré(e) pour vous | ʒə sɥi navɾe(ɛ) puɾ vu | |
| My condolences | Toutes mes condoléances | tutəme kõdɔleɑ̃sə | Someone is deceased |
| My sympathies | Mes condoléances | me kõdɔleɑ̃sə | Someone is deceased |
| I’m sorry, I’m with you with all my heart | Je suis désolé(e), je suis de tout cœur avec toi | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ), ʒə sɥi də tu kœɾ avɛk twa | Informal |
| I’m sorry, I’m here for you | Je suis désolé, je suis là pour toi | ʒə sɥi dezɔle, ʒə sɥi la puɾ twa | Informal |
How to apologize when you bump into someone by accident or you want to get past someone blocking the way
The streets of downtown Paris or Montréal can get crowded sometimes! If you happen to bump into someone or you want to get past someone, it’s pretty easy to be polite. Just use one of the sayings below!
| English | French | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Excuse me please | Excusez-moi | ɛkskyze-mwa |
| Sorry, can I get by? | Désolé(e), je peux passer ? | dezɔle(ɛ), ʒə pø pase ? |
| Pardon | Pardon | paɾdõ |
How to apologize when you need to ask someone to repeat something
When learning French, one of the challenges you might encounter is to understand native francophones. Don’t be shy! Ask them to repeat with the following expressions.
| English | French | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Pardon? | Pardon ? | paɾdõ ? |
| Sorry I didn’t hear you | Désolé(e), je n’ai pas entendu | dezɔle(ɛ), ʒə ne paz‿ ɑ̃tɑ̃dy |
| Sorry, could you please repeat that? | Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? | purje-vu ɾepete, sil vu ple ? |
| I beg your pardon | Je vous demande pardon ? | ʒə vu dəmɑ̃də paɾdõ ? |
| Sorry, what did you say? | Désolé(e), qu'est-ce que vous avez dit ? | dezɔle(ɛ), kɛ-sə kə vuz‿ ave di ? |
| Sorry, I didn’t understand | Désolé(e), je n'ai pas compris | dezɔle, ʒə ne pa kõpɾi |
How to apologize when you have made a small mistake (that did not hurt anyone).
As we say in French, “L’erreur est humaine” (Literally, mistakes are human). For daily bloopers, keep reading!
| English | French | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| It was my bad | J’ai commis une erreur | ʒe kɔmiz‿ yn ɛrœɾ |
| I messed up | J'ai tout gâché | ʒe tu gɑʃe |
| I was wrong and I apologize | J'avais tort et je m'excuse | ʒave tɔɾt‿e ʒə mɛkskyzə |
| Sorry about that! | Désolé(e) pour ça ! | dezɔle(ɛ) puɾ sa ! |
| Whoops! Sorry! | Oups ! Je suis désolé(e) ! | u ! ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) ! |
| It was my fault | C'est ma faute | sɛ ma fotə |
| I’m sorry | Je suis désolé(e) | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) |
| I apologize | Je m'excuse | ʒə mɛkskyzə |
How to say sorry in a formal or business environment
Knowing the proper etiquette to say sorry in French is particularly important in a work environment. The expressions below will help you apologize in the most common business situations.
| English | French | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry for the late reply | Désolé pour la réponse tardive | dezɔle puɾ la ɾepõsə taɾdivə |
| Please forgive the lengthy delay | Veuillez excuser ce long retard | vœjez‿ ɛkskyze sə lõ ɾətaɾ |
| My apologies you didn’t receive the report you requested | Toutes mes excuses pour ne pas avoir reçu le rapport que vous aviez demandé | tutəmez‿ ɛkskyzə puɾ nə paz‿ avwaɾ ɾəsy lə ɾapɔɾ kə vuz‿ avje dəmɑ̃de. |
| I apologize for the confusion… | Je m'excuse pour la confusion... | ʒə mɛkskyzə puɾ la kõfyzjõ... |
| I’m sorry to bother you | Je suis désolé(e) de vous avoir dérangé(e) | ʒə sɥi dezɔle(ɛ) də vuz‿ avwaɾ deɾɑ̃ʒe |
| Sorry I couldn’t attend the meeting | Désolé(e) de ne pas avoir pu assister à la réunion | dezɔle(ɛ) də nə paz‿ avwaɾ py asiste a la ɾeynjõ |
| Sorry, I’m late | Désolé(e) pour le retard | dezɔle(ɛ) puɾ lə ɾətaɾ |
| I regret to inform you that | J'ai le regret de vous informer que | ʒe lə ɾəgɾe də vuz‿ ɛ̃fɔɾme kə |
| All my excuses | Toutes mes excuses | tutəmez‿ ɛkskyzə |
How to ask for forgiveness
You’ve used the expressions above to apologize? Now, it’s time to ask for forgiveness.
| English | French | IPA | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can you forgive me? | Pourras-tu me pardonner ? | pura-ty mə paɾdɔne ? | Informal |
| How can I make it up to you? | Comment puis-je me faire pardonner ? | kɔmə pɥi-ʒə mə fɛɾə paɾdɔne ? | |
| Sorry, I won’t do it again. | Désolé(e), ça ne se reproduira plus | dezɔle, sa nə sə ɾəpɾɔdɥiɾa ply | |
| I’m begging you to forgive me | Je vous prie de m’excuser | ʒə vu pɾjə də mɛkskyze | Formal |
| Please forgive me | S'il te plaît, pardonne-moi | sil tə ple, paɾdɔnə-mwa | Informal |
| I ask for your forgiveness | J’implore votre pardon | ʒɛ̃plɔɾə tõ paɾdõ | Formal |
| I will do anything | Je ferai n'importe quoi | ʒə fəɾe nɛ̃pɔɾtə kwa |
How to express regret
Let’s get even more dramatic with these phrases to express regret.
| English | French | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I wish I could take it back | J'aimerais pouvoir revenir en arrière | ʒ(e)məɾe puvwaɾ ɾəvəniɾɑ̃n‿ arjɛɾə |
| I wish I hadn’t done that | J’aimerais ne pas l’avoir fait | ʒ(e)məɾe nə pa lavwaɾ fe |
| I regret it | Je le regrette | ʒə lə ɾəgɾɛtə |
| I wish I hadn’t said that | J’aimerais ne jamais avoir dit ça | ʒ(e)məɾe nə ʒamɛz‿ avwaɾ di sa |
| I will never forgive myself | Je ne me le pardonnerai jamais | ʒə nə mə lə paɾdɔnəɾe ʒame |
The culture of apologizing in France
If you’re from an English speaking country such as the USA, Canada, Ireland or the United Kingdom, chances are you apologize often. Whether it is at work, on the street or with friends, think about it: How many times a day do you say “sorry” even when you’ve done nothing wrong?
While the Québécoise culture is closer to the American one, in France, it’s another story. French do not apologize very often, especially when they consider that they have nothing to apologize for. Most French will briefly apologize if they REALLY bump into you, but don’t be offended if they don’t. Nothing personal, it’s just French etiquette!
In the workplace, they might say “Ce n’est pas de ma faute” (It’s not my fault) and refuse to take responsibility for their company or their colleague.
Not sure when, or what to apologize for in French? Check out this video.
How to accept an apology in French
Now that you know how to apologize in French, here are a couple of expressions to accept an apology from somebody else:
- Ce n’est pas grave
- N’en parlons plus
- J’accepte vos/tes excuses
- Aucun problème
- Ne vous inquiétez pas/Ne t’inquiète pas
- Pas de soucis
Aucun problème
If you’ve made a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. Take a deep breath and use one of the expressions you just learned! Errors happen, but the important thing is to acknowledge it and apologize. Allez, courage, ce sera vite oublié. As French singer Zazie says, Excuse-moi !
Moreover, if you’re finding joy in reading our free French vocabulary lessons via our blog, keep it up. You’ll round up your learning in so many ways – from hello’s, to goodbyes, and even some fun French slang.
À bientôt !
