Nobody is perfect, and from time to time we all make mistakes. You should be able to recognize your mistakes and know how to apologize for your mistakes. Therefore, today we are going to tell you how to say “I’m sorry” in Russian and how to accept apologies.
The most common way to apologize is to say words “извини(те)” or “прости(те)”. What’s the difference between these two words? In fact, there is no any difference. Both words are synonyms and there are no rules that tell you which word to use in any specific situation.
The forms “прости” and “извини” are acceptable while communicating with people you know really well and who you normally address as “ты”. “Простите” and “Извините” are used in formal situations.
You can add a word “пожалуйста”. It will make your apology more sincere and emotional. You can put “Пожалуйста” both before or after “извини(те)”.
In some situations you can use “простите” or “извините” as a polite way of addressing people you don’t know, or when you ask for a direction or the time.
We often say sorry to somebody and people also say sorry to us. What is the right way to answer when somebody says “I’m sorry” to you?
There are two verbs: “извинять” and “прощать”. They are synonyms and can be translated as “to excuse somebody” or “to forgive”. You should use these words when a person is really guilty and you forgive him/her:
However, we more often use other phrases that are appropriate in both formal and informal communication:
In informal situation you can also use the following phrases:
Both expressions can be translated as “All right, let’s forget about it”.
In the previous section we looked at the example when we use “простите” and “извините” as a form of request. In these situations you should just use these words and say what you need.
We have looked at the basic phrases. In the everyday speech you definitely can come across many other expressions, but the basic phrases we provided you with in this article will be enough to cope with any situation. By the way, do you happen to know any other ways to apologize or accept apologies? Leave your comments!
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