nous sommes désolés
nous sommes désolés is the French way to say "we are sorry".
This phrase is used to express regret or sympathy regarding a mistake or an unfortunate situation. While désolé conveys regret, it is distinct from words like pardon or excusez-moi, which are more common for minor social transgressions such as bumping into someone.
Which one should you use?
nous sommes désolés is used to express regret for a specific situation or mistake. If you want to use a much more formal expression to ask for forgiveness, you should instead use nous vous prions de nous excuser.
How does it change in a sentence?
The spelling of the adjective changes based on the gender of the group speaking. If the group is exclusively female, you must use the feminine plural form nous sommes désolées.
Did you know?
- The word désolé comes from the verb désoler, which originally meant 'to devastate' or 'to lay waste'. Using it to apologize implies that the speaker is heartbroken or devastated by the situation.
- Using nous sommes désolés for a death is often seen as an error because the word condoléances is strictly reserved for bereavement.
- The use of je instead of nous for 'we' was once considered a sign of a low social status and was often mocked in literature by playwrights like Molière.
Examples in context
- Nous sommes désolés de son erreur.We are sorry for his mistake.This sentence shows how to use nous sommes désolés to apologize for someone else's mistake.Tatoeba #6930085 by Aiji, translation #22748 by CK
- Nous sommes désolés pour le dérangement.We are sorry for the inconvenience.This sentence demonstrates using nous sommes désolés to apologize for an inconvenience.Tatoeba #1557368 by sacredceltic, translation #1557165 by Spamster
- Nous sommes désolés pour l'interruption.We are sorry for the interruption.This sentence illustrates using nous sommes désolés to apologize for an interruption.Tatoeba #2321836 by sacredceltic, translation #2320372 by Gulliver
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two hotel managers are apologizing to a guest for a room issue.
- ChloéNous sommes désolés pour le problème avec votre chambre.We are sorry about the problem with your room.
- GabrielC'est très frustrant, je n'ai pas pu dormir.It is very frustrating, I could not sleep.
- ChloéNous sommes désolés, nous allons vous changer de chambre.We are sorry, we are going to change your room.
- GabrielMerci, j'apprécie votre aide.Thank you, I appreciate your help.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
