C’est la catastrophe ! You committed a mistake, a faux-pas and now, you need to find a way to apologize in French. I have great news for you. Today, that’s what this lesson is going to be all about : how to apologize in French!
How to apologize in French – Écouter
1. Le contexte
Si vous souhaitez trouver une façon de présenter vos excuses en français, il est important de prendre en compte le contexte. Est-ce que vous devez vous excuser auprès d’un ami ? Un collègue de travail ? Une personne que vous avez accidentellement tamponnée dans la rue ? Est-ce que vous devez écrire une lettre ou un courriel d’excuses ?
Toutes ces situations différentes doivent être traitées séparément, et c’est ce que nous allons voir maintenant.
2. Les bases
3. Ce qu’il ne faut pas dire
La deuxième chose que j’éviterais de dire est “je n’ai pas fait exprès“. Non seulement cela donne l’impression que vous vous déchargez d’une partie de vos responsabilités, mais cela fait également puéril. Si vous avez accidentellement bousculé quelqu’un ou renversé votre café sur la chemise d’un collègue, il est très probable que vous ne l’ayez pas fait exprès ! Il n’est donc pas nécessaire de le préciser.
1. The context
If you would like to find a way to properly apologize in French (présenter ses excuses en français), it’s important to take the context into account. Do you need to apologize to a friend? A work colleague? Someone you accidentally bumped into in the street? Do you need to write a formal apology letter or email?
All these different situations need to be handled separately, and that’s what we’re going to work on right now.
2. The basics
The most important one is “less is more”. Whether you want to write an email or verbally express your apology, make sure to stay simple and keep it short. Don’t try to justify your behavior with tons of excuses, but wait for the other to accept your apology. Highlight your act of wrong doing by stating the facts.
3. What not to say
First of all, it could come off as rude to the person you’re apologizing to. Then, it’s actually quite wrong to use that phrase. Since the verb “excuser” in French means “to excuse”, the fact that you are using it in the reflexive form (adding “m ‘ ” here) could sound like you are actually excusing yourself! Add that to the possibility that the person you’re apologizing to is having a bad day… and there goes your apology!
If your act of wrong doing was more intentional, then this phrase would simply be a lie.
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4. Some phrases to use
Bumping into someone (short interaction)
If you accidentally bumped into someone in the street or at the work place, you can simply turn around and say “Pardon” (sorry), “Je suis désolé” (if you’re a male speaker) or “Je suis désolée” (if you’re a female speaker), which means “I’m sorry”. The pronunciation is the same. If you want to elaborate, you can say something like
“Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas fait attention !” (I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention!).
Deeper apology (to a friend, a coworker, a family member)
Professional apology (letter or email)
Conclusion
I hope these tips will help you apologize in French in a better way. If you want to share the phrases that YOU like or personally use, feel free to do so in the comments section! If you want more fun tips on the French language, make sure to visit my blog right here.
