tut mir leid, das zu hören
The German phrase for "sorry to hear that" is tut mir leid, das zu hören.
This phrase is used to show sympathy or regret when someone shares bad news. Many German speakers will omit the zu hören part and simply say Das tut mir leid to express sympathy.
What does it mean word for word?
The component tut mir leid literally translates to "does me harm" or "causes me sorrow", where leid is an older form of the word Leid (sorrow or suffering).
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between apologizing and expressing sympathy. While tut mir leid can be used to apologize for a mistake, adding das zu hören shifts the meaning from an apology to an expression of sympathy. Additionally, if you want to say "I'm really sorry" in an informal way, you can use Das tut mir echt leid.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Ist das so? Es tut mir leid, das zu hören.Is that right? I'm sorry to hear that.This sentence is useful for confirming if a piece of information is correct using tut mir leid, das zu hören.Tatoeba #10631479 by Yorwba, translation #10646515 by sundown
- Es tut mir leid, das zu hören.I'm sorry to hear that.This sentence is a direct way to say "I'm sorry to hear that" using tut mir leid, das zu hören.Tatoeba #352280 by human600, translation #41762 by CK
- Es tut mir leid zu hören, dass Sie eine schwierige Zeit durchmachenI'm sorry to hear that you're going through a difficult time
- Das tut mir echt leid, was dir passiert istI'm really sorry to hear what happened to you
- Oh Mann, das ist ja schrecklich, was dir passiert istOh man, that's terrible, what happened to you
- Es gibt keine Worte, die den Schmerz, den du durchmachst, ausdrücken können. Lass es mich wissen, wenn ich irgendetwas tun kann, um zu helfen.There are no words to express the pain you're going through. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah tells Lukas that her dog is sick.
- HannahMein Hund ist leider sehr krank.Unfortunately, my dog is very sick.
- LukasOh nein, es tut mir leid, das zu hören.Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that.
- HannahDanke, Lukas. Wir gehen morgen zum Tierarzt.Thanks, Lukas. We are going to the vet tomorrow.
- LukasIch hoffe, dass es ihm bald besser geht.I hope he feels better soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries das, hören, leid, mir, zu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
