3 ms·
as a Brit, apologising is a natural impulse even when not at fault Someone explained it to me as when an American says "sorry" they mean "I'm sorry I did a bad
by dagw 8y ago
as a Brit, apologising is a natural impulse even when not at fault
Someone explained it to me as when an American says "sorry" they mean "I'm sorry I did a bad thing to you" and when a Brit says sorry they mean "I'm sorry a bad thing happened to you". Which also explains the not uncommon American response to "sorry" of "Why? It wasn't your fault".
- beaconstudios 8y agoYeah that's it, though many Brits also share that reaction.
- firmgently 8y agoIf I do something bad to a person I say sorry and it means "I'm sorry I did something bad to you". If something that's out of my control happens to someone I might say sorry and mean "I'm sorry a bad thing happened to you". I'm British and find that sometimes I think similarly to another person who is British, and at other times I think differently to another person who is British. It's wild.