Foreigners tend to be taught that ‘desolé’ means sorry in French, but in fact the French language has a variety of different ways to apologise, ranging from the casual to the phrases used for a more serious or formal affair.
An Elton John song says, “Sorry seems to be the hardest word” – and that can feel even more true in a foreign language. Whether you want to sound casual, sincere, or very formal, French has many different ways to say “sorry” depending on the situation.
Here are some of the most common expressions, from everyday apologies to more formal ones.
Pardon (roughly pronounced pahr-dohn)
This is the most common for small things, for example after bumping into someone in the street. You can use it for many different situations but keep in mind that it’s quite casual.
Example: Pardon je ne vous avais pas vu! – Sorry I didn’t see you there.
Not to be confused with the English “pardon?” after you need someone to repeat themselves. Now you wouldn’t be wrong by saying that but your interlocutor might assume you are English and do not speak French.
It’s safer to say ‘comment?’, which is the polite version of ‘quoi?’, translating to “what?”.
Désolé/Désolée (roughly pronounced day-zoh-lay)
This way of saying “I’m sorry” is slightly more personal than pardon. It is often used when you are acknowledging responsibility or expressing sympathy. When writing, use désolé for men and désolée for women.
Example: Je suis désolé pour le retard. – I’m sorry for being late.
You can also use it as a form of politeness in a store, for example, when you need to ask someone something.
Example: Je suis désolée de vous déranger – I am sorry to bother you.
It also has a particular nuance as it can be used to express empathy. Just like in English, you would say something like “sorry this is happening to you”. Out of all the different ways to say sorry, je suis désolé is the one that works best when expressing sympathy.
Example: Je suis désolé d’apprendre la triste nouvelle. – I’m sorry to hear about the sad news.
Excusez-moi/Excuse-moi (roughly pronounced ex-cue-zay mwah/ex-cuez mwah)
The phrase excusez-moi (formal) and excuse-moi (informal) are used both to apologise and to get someone’s attention. They translate to “excuse me” in English.
You might use it when interrupting someone, passing through a crowd, or politely correcting yourself.
For example, when you’re in a shop, and you want to ask someone a question, you would usually start with excusez-moi.
You might have come across je m’excuse, which is a little tricky as it translates literally to “I’m sorry”. Grammatically, the phrase je m’excuse is correct, but it can also be understood in French as “I forgive myself”. It’s important to be mindful of the meaning if you want to apologise.
Another formal way of saying “sorry” is je vous prie de m’excuser, which translates in English as “please excuse me”. This phrase is used to apologise in writing and in a more formal context.
Similarly, you can use je vous présente mes excuses, which translates literally to “I am presenting you with my apologies”.
Finally, another variation would be toutes mes excuses, which means “all my apologies”. It is commonly used in professional settings, written communication, or when addressing someone you don’t know well.
Example: Toutes mes excuses pour l’erreur dans mon dernier mail. N’en tenez pas compte s’il vous plaît. – I apologise for the mistake in my last email. Please disregard it.
Navré/Navrée (roughly pronounced nah-vray)
The phrase je suis navré(e) expresses deeper sorrow or regret, often in more formal or serious contexts. It is frequently used when delivering bad news.
Example: Je suis navré(e) d’avoir loupé ton spectacle. – I am so sorry I missed your show.
Au temps pour moi (roughly pronounced oh tahn poor mwah)
The French expression au temps pour moi means “my mistake” or “I was wrong”.
This expression has military origins. It was used to instruct a soldier to restart a movement from the beginning after a mistake! The word temps (which means time) refers to a specific moment in a sequence, such as in a gymnastic or drill exercise.
And today, the expression is used to acknowledge an error and correct yourself.
READ MORE: French Expression of the Day: Au temps pour moi
Example: Au temps pour moi, j’ai mal compris ta question. – My fault, I misunderstood your question.
Other formal phrases
Some other formal phrases to say “sorry” include pardonnez-moi/pardonne moi (roughly pronounced par-don-ay mwah/par-don mwah), which translates to “forgive me”. In this instance, the mistake made is probably quite serious, as the person saying this isn’t sure they will be forgiven by the other person.
There’s also the phrase c’est une erreur de ma part (roughly pronounced seh-tun eh-rer duh mah par), which translates to “it was a mistake on my part”. This one allows you to acknowledge your wrongdoing clearly and simply. It can be combined with a more explicit apology.
Example: C’était une erreur de ma part. Je vous prie de bien vouloir m’excuser. – This was a mistake on my end. Please accept my apology.
READ ALSO: 5 things to say instead of ‘de rien’ when someone thanks you in French
