Skip to content
NewTurkLogic for Android is released with 140 lessons, 660+ quizzes & offline audio!Install on Google Play
TurkLogicTR
Learn Turkish with Logic
Politeness & courtesy

How to Say “Sorry I’m Late” in Turkish

The usual way to say “Sorry I’m late” in Turkish is Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 3 alternatives (formal, informal), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın

Literally
“I stayed late, don’t look at the fault”
Register
Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın is built

  1. geçlate
  2. kal-stay, remain
  3. -dı-past tense
  4. -mI
  5. kusura bakmayınsorry (polite)
Grammar guideTurkish Past Simple Tense (-di / -dı / -du / -dü): Definite Past Explained →Grammar guideTurkish Relative Clauses: Master -en (Who Does) and -dık (Whom I Did) →Conjugate the verbkalmak (to stay, to remain) →

Other ways to say “Sorry I’m late”

  • Geç kaldım, özür dilerimNeutral

    “I’m late, I apologise”

    A more serious apology.

  • Geciktiğim için özür dilerimFormal

    “I apologise for being late”

    Formal; meetings and emails.

  • Pardon, trafik vardıInformal

    “sorry, there was traffic”

    The classic big-city excuse.

How to reply

  • Önemli değil, otur.

    It’s fine, sit down.

  • Sorun değil, yeni başladık.

    No problem, we’ve just started.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın. Metro arızalıydı.

    Sorry I’m late. The metro broke down.

  2. B

    Sorun değil, yeni başladık.

    No problem, we’ve just started.

Related phrases

All phrases →
I’m sorryÖzür dilerimNeutralI’m on my wayYoldayımNeutralNo problemSorun değilNeutralI’m in a hurryAcelem varNeutral

More politeness & courtesy

Go deeper

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

“Sorry I’m late” in Turkish: FAQ

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

The most common way is Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın (literally “I stayed late, don’t look at the fault”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Geç kaldım, özür dilerim (“I’m late, I apologise”): a more serious apology.

How do you reply to Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın?

Typical replies are Önemli değil, otur. (“It’s fine, sit down.”) and Sorun değil, yeni başladık. (“No problem, we’ve just started.”).

What does each part of Geç kaldım, kusura bakmayın mean?

geç = late; kal- = stay, remain; -dı- = past tense; -m = I; kusura bakmayın = sorry (polite). Turkish says “I stayed late” in the past tense, where English says “I am late”.

Practice everyday phrases in the App

Learn Turkish phrases in context

The TurkLogic app teaches phrases like this inside 140 structured lessons, with audio, quizzes and spaced repetition so they stick.

✓ 140 Lessons✓ 660+ Practice Drills✓ Spaced Repetition (SRS)✓ 100% Offline
Free Download • In-App Purchases
← All Turkish phrases