Tips for apologizing in English at work
Knowing how to apologize well in English is an important skill for your professional life.
We all need to apologize at one time or another, whether it is to our coworkers, clients, customers or bosses. Apologizing is never fun, but it’s necessary to repair and strengthen relationships at work. Here are some rules to follow when you need to apologize:
A good apology contains these 5 steps:
- Be sincere. What’s the point of apologizing if you don’t mean it? Admit responsibility and acknowledge what you did wrong. Don’t use words such as “but,” “however” and “well.”
- Get specific and say what you’re sorry for.
Example statements:
“I was wrong to…..”
“It was wrong of me to…”
“My actions were thoughtless and insensitive.”
3. Don’t be defensive and don’t make excuses.
4. Empathize. Acknowledge that you understand how the other person is feeling.
Use expressions such as:
“I can understand how you would be upset.”
“I would feel the same way if I were you.”
“It must have been very frustrating to….”
5. Explain what you will do differently in the future. How will you fix the problem going forward?
Here’s an example of this type of apology:
“I’m sorry for forgetting to attend the meeting last Tuesday. I simply forgot to put it in my calendar. I know that you expected me to be there and to contribute my thoughts related to next years’ budget cuts. I can understand that you were inconvenienced and disappointed. I made a note in my calendar for every Tuesday in order to ensure that going forward it won’t happen again.”
Here are some apology expressions for different situations. Practice them so that when it’s time to apologize, you will know how to say it perfectly in English.
For more formal situations in an email use the word “regret” instead of the word “sorry” or “apologize.”
You can say:
“I regret…”
“I truly regret…”
“We sincerely regret…”
“I deeply regret…”
Example sentences:
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by the delay.”
“I deeply regret the misunderstanding. “
“We regret that we are unable to give you a refund.”
“We sincerely regret the negative experience you had.”
Saying “I’m sorry” or “I apologize”
You can say:
“I’m very sorry.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
“I sincerely apologize.”
Make sure your apologies are grammatically correct:
a. Use “sorry for” or “apologize for” + verb + ing
Example sentences:
“I am sorry for arriving late.”
“I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you.”
“I’m sorry for not responding to your email sooner.”
“I sincerely apologize for forgetting to send you the report.”
b. Use “sorry” or “apologize” + I + past tense verb
Example sentences:
“I’m sorry that I arrived late.”
“I’m sorry that it took so long to get back to you.”
“I sorry that I didn’t respond to your email sooner.”
“I apologize that I forgot to send you the report.”
c. Use “delay” + in + verb + ing
Example sentences
“I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you.”
“We’re sorry for the delay in processing your refund.”
d. Use “delayed” + noun
Example sentences
“I’m sorry for the delayed response.”
“I apologize for the delayed response to your request.”
No matter where you work or which profession you’re in, sooner or later you’re going to have to apologize. Knowing how to deliver a good apology is a very important skill to learn. It can be a great opportunity to show your character and demonstrate your professionalism.
Did you see the YouTube videos I posted recently about this subject? Watch Part 1 here and Part 2 here. You will have an opportunity to practice your American accent by repeating after me. Make sure you don’t miss any videos by subscribing to my channel.