第121课。“对不起”什么时候抱歉？

Lesson 121: When does "sorry" mean sorry?

“抱歉”的一个含义表示对你所做的事情的道歉和忏悔，例如：

One meaning of "sorry" shows apology and contrition about something you have done, for example:

"I am sorry I ran over your cat with my car". “我很抱歉我用我的车撞了你的猫”。

"I'm sorry I smashed your valuable Ming Dynasty vase, even if it was marked Made in Vietnam". “对不起，我砸碎了你珍贵的明代花瓶，即使它被标记为越南制造”。

另一个意思是“我很伤心”，例如：

Another meaning is "I am sad about", for example:

"I'm sorry to hear that your grandmother died". “听说你祖母去世了，我很难过”。

"We're sorry you had such a painful time in hospital". “我们很抱歉你在医院度过了如此痛苦的时光”。

第三个意思不表示道歉或悲伤。 这是表示对某事没有发生或不可能发生的遗憾的一种礼貌方式，例如：

The third meaning doesn't show apology or sadness. It is a polite way of showing regret that something didn't happen, or is not possible, for example:

"I'm sorry that all the tickets for that concert have been sold". “我很抱歉，该音乐会的所有门票已售出”。

“我很抱歉，但我们不提供这项服务”。"I am sorry, but we don't offer that service".

接待员在上一课中的意思是这种“对不起”，当时她说：“对不起，先生，我们那天晚上的铁板烧已经订满了。”

It's this type of "sorry" that the Receptionist meant in the previous lesson, when she said: "I'm sorry, sir, we're fully booked for teppanyaki that evening."

你可以说“害怕”，而不是“对不起”。 这并不意味着你真的害怕某事。 这是表达遗憾的另一种礼貌方式。 例子：

Instead of "sorry", you can say "afraid". This doesn't mean that you are literally scared of something. It is another polite way of expressing regret. Examples:

"I'm afraid that I can't find your order on our computer". “恐怕我在我们的电脑上找不到您的订单”。

"I'm afraid that all the tickets for that concert have been sold". “恐怕那场演唱会的门票都卖光了”。

"I'm afraid we're fully booked for teppanyaki that evening, sir". “恐怕我们那天晚上的铁板烧已经订满了，先生。”