In this video, I’ll explain why Germans don’t apologize for every little thing and how their version of “sorry” (or “Es tut mir leid”) carries real weight. You’ll learn how German communication culture treats apology as sincerity, not social reflex. By the end, you’ll see why fewer apologies can actually make your words stronger.
Comments:
HEY! Sorry, but this is a direct attack on Canada. 🙂
Yes, in Germany, people actually mean what they say, most of the time.
Meanwhile in Germany „sorry“ is often used when we apologize just a tiny little bit for only very small actions which are not supposed to be really insulting to anybody. When we say „Entschuldigung“ it‘s often an expression with a really strong meaning which implies that I hurt someone by my action. But we also use it to adress at other people to get their attention, f.e. if we want to call the waitor in a restaurant, or if we want to pass through a croud of people. Even stronger is the sentence „verzeih mir“ which includes that I deeply hurt someone. All these expressions need self reflection and the realization that I did something wrong which I really regret. Therefore it‘s not easily used.