How to Say ‘I am sorry’ in German
Das tut mir leid
dahs toot meer lite
[dahs toot meer lite]
🇩🇪 In Germany: This is the standard everyday apology for inconvenience or misunderstanding. It's warmer and more personal than a bare [Entschuldigung] here.
Phrase Breakdown
Das
[dahs]
that / it
Refers to the situation being discussed.
Das tut mir leid wegen der Verspätung.
I am sorry about the delay.
tut
[toot]
does
From 'tun'; in this phrase it is part of 'I am sorry'.
Das tut mir leid wegen des Missverständnisses.
I am sorry about the misunderstanding.
mir
[meer]
to me
Dative pronoun showing how something affects the speaker.
Das sagt mir nichts.
That means nothing to me.
leid
[lite]
sorry
Literally 'pain'; in this phrase it means you are sorry.
Es tut mir leid wegen der falschen Adresse.
I am sorry about the wrong address.
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