Saying sorry by email

What is the best way to say sorry to someone by email? We all make mistakes! This class has lots of examples which you can use yourself.

How to say that you are sorry

We all know the normal way to apologise in spoken English:

• I am sorry

We also have the shorter version:

• I'm sorry

or even:

• Sorry

We can use these forms in emails as well. However, there are also more complex and sophisticated ways to apologise in an email. We'll have a look at those later, but first...

A simple email to say sorry 

Imagine we made an error in a report which we sent to a client. Oh no! What a disaster! Let's write a very short email which we could send to him/her. The first line in an email is usually the most important one, so I prefer to start the email directly with the apology:

Normally, when we apologise we also try to correct our error, so let's add a second line to our email:

*Obviously it is always a good idea to REVIEW our reports before we send them to clients or to our boss!

Formal ways to Apologise / Apologize

As we said, in written English it is perfectly correct to use the word "sorry". However, English also has more formal ways of saying sorry. The most common form is: 

• I would like to apologise for...

The short version:

• I'd like to apologise for...

Did you notice that we use the conditional "I would like..."?

Let's see a more formal version of the previous email:

British English / American English

In the United Kingdom we write "apologise" but in the United States the verb is spelt: "apologize".  The corresponding noun is the same in both forms of the language: apology

Indirect Forms

As we have mentioned previously in this email course, native English speakers often prefer to use indirect phrases in their emails. Here are two forms which you can use in your emails if you want to sound more like a native speaker:

I'm writing to apologise for....

This phrase can be followed by a noun or by a verb in ING form:

• I'm writing to apologise for the poor service which you received the last time you visited our hotel.
• I'm writing to apologise for the delay in sending your last order. 
• I'm writing to apologise for not attending last night's presentation. 

I would like to apologise for...

• I would like to apologise for missing the seminar in Madrid last week.
• I would like to apologise for the errors in the last Monthly Sales Report.

The following form is a little less formal:

I just wanted to say sorry for....

Imagine we work as a consultant on an IT project and our team hasn't been able to meet the deadlines.

• I just wanted to say sorry for all the delays that have occured on this project.

Giving Excuses

Is it a good idea to give excuses? Who knows? You decide! When I give excuses, I usually start with "unfortunately".

• I'm sorry about all the problems at the conference. Unfortunately, many of our staff were off work ill that day.
• I'm sorry for missing the seminar. Unfortunately, my flight was cancelled at the last minute and all the alternative flights to Amsterdam were full. 

The adverb 'unfortunately' is useful for giving any type of negative information, as our native teachers explain in this lesson. 

An email for apologising

Here's an example email which has all three elements we have talked about previously. We start with the apology, then we give our excuses, and finally we say how we propose to rectify our error.

This email is quite formal, but can be used in almost any situation. Did you understand the function of each sentence?

1. The Apology:

• I'm just writing to say sorry for the problems with your last order (ref: LJ-4562). 

2. The Excuses:

• Unfortunately, we had an extremely busy period last month and it was impossible for our staff to prepare all the orders on time.

3. The Solution to the problems we have caused:

• To compensate you, I've asked our Accounts department to refund 50% of the value of the order. 

4. The 'helpful' last line in the email:

• If you would like to discuss the issue further, please don't hesitate to call me directly.

We always need to pay special attention to how we end an email, so make sure you check out our class on final lines.  As always, it has lots of examples for you to copy and use in your own jobs. 

Emails in English for complaining

It's much more fun to complain about something than to apologise! In another lesson in this Business English Course we look an how to write effective emails for complaining about a product or service. Don't miss it!