Sorry
What it really means
British people say "sorry" constantly, and it is often not an apology at all. It can mean "excuse me", "I didn't hear you", "you're in my way", or just soften a sentence. Someone may say sorry even when YOU bump into THEM.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Surveys regularly find British people apologising many times a day, and most of those "sorries" carry no guilt at all. The uses worth learning: "Sorry?" with a rising tone means "I didn't hear you — please repeat" (much more natural than "what?", which can sound abrupt); "sorry" before a question softens the interruption; and the mutual "sorry" when two people bump is a social reflex, not an admission of fault. That last point matters practically — after a genuine accident or dispute (a car bump, a damaged parcel) an insurance-style admission is a different register entirely from the everyday social "sorry". The learner mistakes run both ways: some newcomers apologise too little and come across as brusque; others take every "sorry" they hear as sincere remorse and respond too seriously. Match the weight of the situation: a light "no worries" answers a light "sorry".