Hello! I'm Emma from mmmEnglish.

In today's lesson, I'm going to share some different

and more meaningful ways to say

"Sorry!"

Now of course, it's okay to say "I'm sorry",

when you make a mistake or you do something wrong,

you can say "I'm sorry!"

But "sorry" is really overused in English.

It's so overused that sometimes it can seem a little meaningless.

You see, people use "sorry" all the time!

They apologise all the time for lots of different reasons.

"Sorry!"

"Sorry I'm late!"

"Sorry!"

"Sorry, I forgot to bring the...."

"Oh! Sorry!"

And because of that,

"I'm sorry" can feel a little less meaningful.

Sometimes it can feel like you don't really care

or you're just saying "sorry" because you feel like

you have to, not because you actually mean it.

So when you really need to say sorry for something that you've done,

maybe a mistake that you've made or

some problem that you've created, well then,

it's a good idea to use a stronger expression.

Okay? To show that you really mean it.

And today, I'm going to share

some more meaningful ways to say "I'm sorry",

some meaningful ways to apologise.

Now, we're going to give you a few different options

to help you build your vocabulary

so that your English sounds more

sophisticated and more meaningful.

But if you want to improve your English pronunciation

and natural expression,

then I really recommend the mmmEnglish

Imitation Lessons!

All of the lessons there are focused on specific situations

and you'll learn not just what to say,

but how to say it. And in English, it's so important,

especially when you're trying to be genuine and real,

it's so important to change the tone of your voice

and your facial expressions and your body language

really helps to convey your message.

Now I created the mmmEnglish Imitation Lessons

especially for my students to help them

develop their pronunciation but also

their natural expression.

You're going to be able to practise on your own at home,

you don't need a teacher or a speaking partner

and you can practise your English speaking skills in your own time,

whenever it suits you.

So if you haven't checked out the imitation lessons yet,

grab the link in the description

or you can head straight to the webpage right there!

So let's focus on some different ways to say "I'm sorry".

One of the hardest things about apologising

is admitting that you've done something wrong.

Socially, it can be quite an awkward situation. Right?

It's one that makes you feel a little uncomfortable.

Now, if we're talking about a small problem that you created,

perhaps you provided your colleague with some wrong information.

It was an accident but still, you're at fault.

Then it's absolutely fine to say

"Ah...My mistake."

Just own it, you know?

It was my mistake, I made the mistake.

So you can actually say "Oh.. My mistake",

instead of saying "Sorry"

Now you can also say "My apologies".

My apologies, I made a mistake.

But if you want to tone it down a little

and you want to make it a little less formal

then you can also say "My bad!"

This has become a really common expression

you use to admit that you did something wrong

in less formal situations.

"You're late for the meeting! It started an hour ago!"

"Really? Oh, my bad! I didn't have it in my calendar."

So it's like, "Oops! Oh, that was my fault."

My mistake. You just own it, you know?

You don't really need to say "Sorry" as well,

you're just claiming the mistake as yours.

And these are all great options

if the problem you created is not a big one.

Like, if you were supposed to make a booking

for you and ten mates at a restaurant

and you forgot and when you get there,

there's no room for you.

That's a good time to say "Oh, my bad!"