How to Say “Sorry” in French

Ways to say it

These terms are used to express regret or sorrow. The adjective désolé or navré can also be used to describe being grieved or saddened, while piteux is used to describe something that is poor or regrettable.

Which one should you use?

While désolé is a standard way to say sorry, navré expresses a much deeper, more formal level of regret or sorrow. Unlike désolé, which expresses regret for a mistake or feeling bad, excusez-moi is used to get someone's attention or to apologize for a minor social transgression like bumping into someone.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For formal apologies, you can use Je suis désolé(e) or simply Pardon. When addressing a larger group of people or in more formal situations, Veuillez m'excuser is used to say 'Please excuse me'. In contrast, Désolé(e) is the informal version of 'Je suis désolé(e)'. To say 'excuse me' or 'sorry' informally, use Excuse-moi, whereas excusez-moi is the polite or formal version. Je m'excuse is also an informal way to say 'I apologize'.

Related words

Grieved, saddened (adj): navré, désolé.

Poor, regrettable (adj): piteux.

How does it change in a sentence?

The adjective désolé must agree in gender with the person speaking: use désolé for a male speaker and désolée for a female speaker.

How do you pronounce it?

The word is pronounced /de.zɔ.le/ and has three syllables.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often use je m'excuse to mean 'I apologize', but in strict French etiquette, this can be seen as grammatically impolite because you are technically excusing yourself rather than asking for forgiveness.