Apologising constantly
Neutral Polite
What it really means
British people say "sorry" dozens of times a day — to start a question ("Sorry, where's the station?"), to squeeze past someone, to interrupt, or when nothing is anyone's fault. It's social oil, not real guilt. Learn to use it the same way and don't read deep apology into every "sorry" you hear.
Chinese explanation
英国人一天能说几十次"sorry"——问路开头（"Sorry, where's the station?"）、从人旁边挤过、打断别人，甚至谁都没错的时候。这是社交润滑剂，不是真的愧疚。学会同样地使用它，也别把听到的每个"sorry"都当成郑重道歉。
Example conversation
A: Sorry, can I just squeeze past? Sorry. Thanks. Sorry.
B: You apologise a lot, you know.
A: Sorry about that.
A：不好意思，我能过一下吗？抱歉。谢谢。抱歉。
B：你知道吗，你道歉也太频繁了。
A：这个……抱歉啦。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake