What British people mean when they say 'sorry'

stavros

This is 100% accurate. I've seen someone apologizing for being stepped on (accidentally, of course). It really does mean "we have, unfortunately and inadvertently, crossed paths and must now ward off the evil spirits by acknowledging this".

analog31

Oddly enough "sorry" is also quite common in the upper Midwest US. If I bump into someone else by accident, and it's my fault, they will reflexively say "sorry."

thehoff

I’m in the US and definitely have heard these in similar situations. Another I don’t think was listed is a way to blunt an aggressive statement just in case there may be a misunderstanding. “WTF did you just say to me?” Might be “Sorry, but WTF did you just say to me?” would imply some anger that could lead to a fight but hey, sorry maybe I misheard you? Which could funny enough lead to more sorries “oh, sorry I thought you said something else”.

enochthered

I’m a Brit. It was only after living overseas that I realised just how mad our use of “sorry” can be. An example. One day I was on the tube. My bag was on the seat next to me. A bloke gets on, points at my bag and says “sorry”. What he actually meant, was “move your bag”. The thing is, if he had said something so direct, I would have said “sorry, what did you say to me?” And on and on…

nutjob2

'Sorry' serves the same purpose as 'excuse me', 'yeah' or 'okay' in that it has a multitude of meanings depending on tone, intonation and context. For instance 'yeah' can mean 'yes, continue', agreement, skepticism, (sarcastic) disagreement, enthusiasm, etc. The cultural difference is what word is most commonly used.

ghostpepper

This is how it's used in Canada too

soopypoos

sorry that you're a cunt, now 1) get out of my way 2) speak up 3) get out of my fucking way 4) stop being a cunt for a bit (and get out of my way) 5) shut up 6) fuck off

Izkata

Isn't this just... normal? Maybe they use it more often, but (also in the Midwest as other comments mention) these uses are all more common than an actual apology. But for a more distant example of the "I'm about to inconvenience you" usage being normal - isn't the Japanese "sumimasen" used almost exactly the same as these?

RajT88

The British have a similarly strange relationship with the word "Brilliant".

mettamage

As a Dutchie the way I used sorry is along the lines of “I am sorry, I won’t do that again.” Then I had a long relationship with an ethnically Dutch person but culturally a Londoner (she grew up there) and also learned there is “I am sorry for your pain and wish I could take it away” (this implies though they probably would do it again because they are not sorry for their actions). It was maddening at first but now I am used to it. I only do this in English though. In Dutch it’s almost like I physically can’t. It feels wrong to use it that way, almost unethical even. But maybe that’s a me thing.

fellowniusmonk

Mi dispiace.

xaxfixho

how is this on hcker.news?? WoW!!

DonHopkins

Meanwhile in America: Can The Family Have a Good Time Playing Sorry? | The Carol Burnett Show Clip https://youtu.be/_uBib8TatmA?t=397