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Politeness & courtesy

How to Say “I’m Sorry” in Turkish

The usual way to say “I’m sorry” in Turkish is Özür dilerim. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 4 alternatives (informal, formal), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Özür dilerim

Literally
“I ask for pardon”
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Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Özür dilerim is built

  1. özürapology, excuse
  2. dile-wish, ask for
  3. -r-aorist after a vowel
  4. -imI
Grammar guideThe Turkish Aorist Tense (-r / -er / -ir): Habits, Promises & Polite Requests →Grammar guideTurkish Verb Person Suffixes: The Z-Type (-ım, -sın, -ız) and K-Type (-m, -n, -k) Sets →Conjugate the verbözür dilemek (to apologize) →

Other ways to say “I’m sorry”

  • Kusura bakmaInformal

    “don’t look at the fault”

    Everyday “sorry” for small things.

  • Kusura bakmayınFormal

    “sorry (polite)”

    Polite or plural.

  • PardonNeutral

    “sorry”

    Very light; for bumping into someone.

  • ÜzgünümNeutral

    “I’m sad”

    Sympathy, not apology: “I’m sorry to hear that”.

How to reply

  • Önemli değil.

    It doesn’t matter.

  • Sorun değil.

    No problem.

  • Olur öyle.

    These things happen.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Özür dilerim, kahvenizi döktüm.

    I’m sorry, I spilled your coffee.

  2. B

    Önemli değil, olur öyle.

    It’s fine, these things happen.

Related phrases

All phrases →
Sorry I’m lateGeç kaldım, kusura bakmayınNeutralExcuse meAffedersinizFormalNo problemSorun değilNeutralSorry to bother youRahatsız ettiğim için özür dilerimFormal

More politeness & courtesy

Go deeper

GuideHow to Say Thank You, Please and Sorry in Turkish (Teşekkürler, Lütfen, Özür Dilerim)

“I’m sorry” in Turkish: FAQ

How do you say “I’m sorry” in Turkish?

The most common way is Özür dilerim (literally “I ask for pardon”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Kusura bakma (“don’t look at the fault”): everyday “sorry” for small things.

How do you reply to Özür dilerim?

Typical replies are Önemli değil. (“It doesn’t matter.”) and Sorun değil. (“No problem.”).

What does each part of Özür dilerim mean?

özür = apology, excuse; dile- = wish, ask for; -r- = aorist after a vowel; -im = I. Use özür dilerim for a real apology and kusura bakma for minor slips.

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