English–German
“be sorry” in German
How to say “be sorry” in German
“Be sorry” in German is leidtun.
A speaker acknowledges painful circumstances and expresses an emotional response rather than merely stating a fact.
Example sentences with leidtun
Der Hund tut dem Kind leid.
The dog feels sorry for the child.
Tips for using leidtun
- Es tut mir leid can respond to bad news as well as apologize, whereas Ich entschuldige mich explicitly presents an apology.
Other German words for “be sorry”
Ich bedauere das sehr.
I am very sorry about that.