The different ways we say ‘sorry’

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By Phil de Lange


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Have you ever noticed how, as South Africans, we use the word ‘sorry’ a lot? And there’s a whole lot of different ways to say it too.

A quick guide to using ‘sorry’ as a South African:

1. To genuinely apologise.

Sorry Little Girl GIFfrom Sorry GIFs

2. To politely get someone’s attention

Sorry To Bother You GIFfrom Sorry To Bother You GIFs

3. To ask someone to repeat what they said

Im Sorry I Didnt Quite Catch That Lauren Heller GIFfrom Im Sorry I Didnt Quite Catch That GIFs

4. To put your foot down. “No. I’m Sorry. I’m putting my foot down”

Foot Down Annie Murphy GIFfrom Foot Down GIFs

5. To threaten someone. It’s all about the tone.

Abbott Elementary Curse GIFfrom Abbott Elementary GIFs

Phil de Lange
Phil de Lange
Phil de Lange is the producer of the Ryan O'Connor Breakfast show and has been with Smile 90.4FM since it's inception in 2013. Through his work on the breakfast show he has won two national radio awards. He has been in broadcasting for 15 years and has honed his talent at 6 different radio stations. Outside of radio he is also a podcast producer and award winning stand-up comedian.

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