• ApeNo1@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    100
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    8 months ago

    Do they? I thought “I’m sorry” was specifically about sharing how you are feeling vs “I apologise” which is an acknowledgment of your action(s). They often correlate but not always a given.

    Just my 20c…

    Edit: I can’t spell actions apparently.

    Bonus DVD directors cut edit:

    So reading all the cool comments below has taught me that the most ambiguous situation that can arise linguistically, is inadvertently bumping into someone whilst trying to ask directions during a Canadian funeral.

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      8 months ago

      If you’re apologizing for something you did, you likely would say either.

      If you’re at a funeral you might say to the survivors of the decedent, “I’m sorry” as in, “I am sorry for your loss”. Whereas saying “I apologize” to them can only mean you believe you’re at fault for the decedent’s passing.

    • SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      In Canada saying I’m sorry/apologize can’t be taken as an admittance of fault. So may legally vary in place to place, but there isn’t actually a difference.

      • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        In Canada … ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean much any more …

        Bump somebody in public? … I’m sorry
        Meet someone you know? … I’m sorry
        Meet someone you don’t know? … I’m sorry
        Look at somebody? … I’m sorry
        Stand in line with other people? … I’m sorry
        Someone acknowledge you? … I’m sorry
        Someone asks you to hold this severed body part? … I’m sorry (and hold it anyway)
        Someone asks you for directions? … I’m sorry
        Someone tells you 1+1=2? … I’m sorry
        Someone asks you if you want salmon or steak? … I’m sorry
        Someone asks you which hockey team you like? … I’m sorry
        Someone asks you about the weather? … I’m sorry

    • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      They have the same meaning to me. Either one is interchangable with the other, trying to distinguish them is just semantics/splitting hairs IMO.

  • neatchee@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    46
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    8 months ago

    It’s important to know the difference between

    Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned

    and

    I’m sorry, Daddy; I’ve been very naughty

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    edit-2
    8 months ago

    That’s because “I’m sorry” is essentially short for “I feel sorrow”. What it means specifically can differ depending on the context. We have lots of examples of phrases that work like this, for example: if you end a relationship with someone you call it “breaking up” with them. If you pass through a tunnel during a phone call and can’t hear the other person very well or the call drops, they’re “breaking up”. That’s because something “breaking up” can refer to it falling apart or being severed. When you apologize, you feel sorrow over your own actions and/or the hurt they have caused. When you console someone grieving, you feel sorrow for their loss. This, like puns, is not in any way exclusive to the English language.

  • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    8 months ago

    During a period where life was fucking me over frequently, I had a friend who would, in commiserating with my situation, say sorry to me, at least partly because he felt bad that he wasn’t able to help.

    My autistic ass would get confused about whether he had committed a slight against me that I was unaware of, and I’d ask for clarification (because sometimes he was actually apologising for something I hadn’t registered). This developed into a shorthand where if I was confused, I’d ask “funeral sorry?”.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    8 months ago

    One’s a statement about your feelings. The other is a statement about your hobbies. They are not the same.

  • ShortFuse@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    8 months ago

    I’m sorry = I am sorrowful (sympathy or empathy)

    I apologize = I am to explain my action (defense)

    Consider:

    • “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
    • “I owe you an apology.”
    • “What a sorry excuse for a ___ .”

    Meaning, “I apologize” at a funeral is the same as “In my defense…”

  • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    8 months ago

    “Sorry” has lots of meanings in English. Many of them mean the opposite of what they sound like, or are accusatory even.

  • mcmoor@bookwormstory.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    8 months ago

    When I was learning English I feel very stupid questioning why English people says “I’m very sorry”. That I lack a critical knowledge that it’s normal and it means that someone also feel sorrow.

    It’s very liberating knowing that even native speaker are also confused and questioning that same phrase.