How to Say Sorry in French: 15+ Apologies From Formal to Casual

The Short Answer

The most common way to say sorry in French is Désolé (day-zoh-LAY). For lighter situations like bumping into someone or getting someone's attention, use Pardon (par-DOHN) or Excusez-moi (eks-kew-zay-MWAH). French has a remarkably layered apology system that ranges from a quick reflexive Pardon to the deeply formal Je vous prie de m'excuser.

French is spoken by approximately 321 million people across 29 countries, according to Ethnologue's 2024 data. As a language built on formality registers and social nuance, getting your apology right matters more in French than in many other languages. The wrong level of formality can make you sound either insincere or overly dramatic.

"In French politeness culture, the choice between tu and vous extends into every speech act — including apologies. Saying excuse-moi versus excusez-moi signals not just grammar but your entire relationship to the listener."

(Anna Wierzbicka, Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Mouton de Gruyter)

This guide covers 15+ French apology expressions organized by intensity: light apologies, sincere apologies, formal apologies, and written or very formal expressions. Each includes pronunciation, an example sentence, and cultural context so you know exactly when to use it.

Quick Reference: French Apologies at a Glance

Light Apologies: Pardon and Excuse-moi

These are the everyday apologies you will use dozens of times in France, in the metro, at the boulangerie, walking down a crowded street. They carry minimal emotional weight and are more about social lubrication than genuine remorse.

Pardon

Pardon is the single most useful apology word in French. According to the CNRTL, it derives from the Latin perdonare (to grant completely), and it has served triple duty in French for centuries. You will use it when you bump into someone, need to squeeze past in a crowd, or want someone to repeat what they just said.

The beauty of Pardon is its versatility. Say it with a quick, light tone and it means "oops, excuse me." Say it with a rising intonation (Pardon ?) and it means "What did you say?" This single word will get you through most minor social situations in France.

Excuse-moi

This is the informal (tu) version. Use it with friends, family, peers, and anyone you are on familiar terms with. The key cultural point: in France, the tu/vous distinction is not optional. Using Excuse-moi with a stranger or someone older can come across as overly familiar.

Excusez-moi

This is the formal (vous) version and the safest default for travelers. Use it when approaching strangers for directions, getting a waiter's attention, or interrupting any conversation. The Académie française notes that excusez-moi is technically an imperative (you are commanding someone to excuse you) yet through centuries of use it has become purely polite.

Sincere Apologies: Désolé and Je suis désolé

When Pardon is too light and you need to express genuine regret (you made a mistake, hurt someone's feelings, or arrived late) Désolé is the word you need.

Désolé / Désolée

Désolé literally means "desolated", as if the situation has left you emotionally devastated. In practice, it has softened to simply mean "sorry," much like English speakers say "I'm devastated" without truly being devastated. It works for everything from showing up five minutes late to accidentally spilling someone's coffee.

The gender agreement here is important and unique to French apologies. The adjective désolé agrees with the speaker, not the listener. A man writes désolé, a woman writes désolée. In spoken French, both sound identical (day-zoh-LAY), so the distinction only matters in writing, but getting it right in texts and emails shows real fluency.

Je suis désolé(e)

Adding je suis (I am) before désolé elevates the apology from casual to deliberate. It signals that you are not just tossing off a quick "sorry" but are genuinely acknowledging the situation. You can intensify it further with adverbs: Je suis vraiment désolé (I'm truly sorry) or Je suis tellement désolé (I'm so sorry).

Formal Apologies: Navré, Je vous prie, Veuillez

When a situation calls for gravity, a professional mistake, a serious inconvenience, or addressing someone of high status. French has an entire register of elevated apologies that English simply lacks.

Je suis navré(e)

Navré comes from an Old French word meaning "to wound", so Je suis navré literally means "I am wounded (by this situation)." It sits one level above désolé in formality and emotional weight. You will hear it from hotel concierges, customer service agents, and in any professional context where désolé feels too casual. Like désolé, it follows gender agreement: men say navré, women say navrée.

Je vous prie de m'excuser

This is one of the most elegant apologies in any European language. The verb prier means "to pray" or "to beg," so you are literally begging the other person for their forgiveness. According to Brown and Levinson's politeness theory, this type of elaborate negative-face redress is characteristic of French formal culture, where showing deference through complex linguistic formulas is valued.

Research by linguist Anna Wierzbicka found that French has significantly more graded levels of formal apology than English, reflecting a culture where social hierarchy and face-saving are deeply embedded in language structure.

Veuillez m'excuser

Veuillez is the formal imperative of vouloir (to want), so this phrase literally asks "please be willing to excuse me." It is the standard formula for formal correspondence and professional situations. You will encounter it constantly in French business emails, often as an opening or closing formula.

Very Formal and Written Apologies

These expressions appear primarily in written French, formal letters, official correspondence, and literary contexts. Knowing them gives you access to the full range of French expression.

Toutes mes excuses

Toutes mes excuses carries weight without being overly dramatic. It works well in professional emails when you need to acknowledge an error. The extended version (Veuillez accepter toutes mes excuses (Please accept all my apologies)) is standard in formal business correspondence and official letters.

Mea culpa

This Latin phrase has been fully adopted into French. It literally means "my fault" and comes from the Catholic confession prayer. In modern French, saying mea culpa signals full acceptance of responsibility. It can range from lighthearted (dropping your friend's phone) to gravely serious (a public figure acknowledging a mistake). The phrase faire son mea culpa (to make one's mea culpa) is a common French expression meaning to own up to a mistake.

How to Respond to French Apologies

Knowing how to accept an apology is just as important as knowing how to give one. Here are the most common responses, organized by formality.

The most versatile response is Ce n'est pas grave (suh nay pah GRAHV): "It's not serious." It works in almost any situation. Among friends, T'inquiète (tan-KYET), a shortened form of Ne t'inquiète pas (Don't worry), has become the default casual response, especially among younger speakers.

Regional Differences: France vs. Quebec

While the core apology vocabulary is shared across the Francophone world, there are notable differences between France and Quebec that reflect each region's unique cultural influences.

In France, the formality hierarchy is strictly maintained. Using Veuillez m'excuser or Je vous prie de m'excuser in appropriate contexts is expected and appreciated. The tu/vous distinction in apologies is observed carefully, and switching prematurely to tu can itself require an apology.

In Quebec, the influence of English has introduced the word Sorry (pronounced sor-EE) into casual speech. Younger Québécois speakers might say Sorry ! in everyday situations where a Parisian would say Pardon ! or Excuse-moi ! This is purely a casual register, formal Quebec French uses the same elevated apologies as France. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie notes that Quebec French preserves many archaic French expressions while simultaneously absorbing English loanwords, creating a unique linguistic landscape.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Practice With Real French Content

Reading about apologies teaches you the vocabulary, but hearing them delivered with authentic intonation and body language is what makes them natural. French films and series are perfect for this, from the casual Pardon exchanges in everyday Parisian scenes to the elaborate formal apologies in period dramas.

Wordy lets you watch French movies and shows with interactive subtitles. Tap on any apology phrase to see its meaning, pronunciation, formality level, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing phrases from a list, you absorb them from real conversations with natural delivery and emotion.

For more French content, explore our blog for guides including the best movies to learn French. You can also visit our French learning page to start practicing with real native content today.