Shadowing Practice: Stop Saying SORRY in English - Say This Instead! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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What's wrong with this phrase?
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I'm sorry.
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Okay, trick question.
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There's nothing wrong with saying sorry, but there are several common alternatives that native English speakers often use.
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My name is Michael Anton.
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I'm the founder of English at the Ready, and I'm Canadian.
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You might be familiar with the stereotype that Canadians say sorry all the time.
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And while that might be true, it's not the only way of apologizing.
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In today's video, I'm going to teach you several alternatives to the word sorry.
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The most obvious and common situation is when you apologize for a mistake.
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For example, I'm sorry for making a mistake.
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In this situation, the more formal way of saying sorry is I apologize.
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I apologize.
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You might also say my apologies.
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My apologies.
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My bad.
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My mistake.
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I was wrong about that.
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That's on me.
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I take responsibility for that.
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I shouldn't have done that.
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You might also use the word sorry to express regret or sympathy.
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For example, I'm sorry for your loss.
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In addition to sorry, you could say, that's really unfortunate.
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How awful.
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That sounds really difficult.
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My heart goes out to you.
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I hate that you're going through this.
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Or what a tough situation.
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What a difficult situation.
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These are all different ways of expressing sympathy for somebody else.
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You might also use the word sorry if you don't understand somebody.
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For example, they say something and you say sorry.
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You could also say pardon, pardon, come again, come again.
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Could you say that again?
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Could you say that again?
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Or I didn't catch that.
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I didn't catch that.
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If you want to interrupt somebody politely or get their attention, you might say sorry.
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For example, sorry, do you have a moment?
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You could also say, excuse me, do you have a moment?
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Excuse me, pardon me, if I may.
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For example, if I may, could I please speak to you for a moment?
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Or lastly, if it's a more informal matter, quick question.
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For example, quick question.
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Do you have time to talk later?
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Sometimes apologizing too much can be a bad thing.
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You can admit a mistake without over apologizing.
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For example, you might say, hmm, good catch.
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Good catch.
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Or you're right.
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Let me fix that.
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Thanks for flagging that.
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Thanks for flagging that.
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Or let me correct that.
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Let me correct that.
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These are particularly useful phrases at work where it's important to take responsibility for your actions
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while at the same time still sounding confident.
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Another situation where you might say sorry is if you're declining an offer
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or you're saying no. In this case you might say Unfortunately, I can't.
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Unfortunately, I can't.
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I'm not able to.
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Sadly, I'm not able to.
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That won't work for me.
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And lastly, more informally, I'll have to pass.
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I'll have to pass.
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If your friends ask you to dinner, you might say, unfortunately, I'll have to pass.
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I have work to do.
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And lastly, if you're writing an email or a letter, there are situations where the word sorry might not be enough.
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It might not be strong enough.
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Instead, you might say, I regret.
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For example, I regret to inform you that I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
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Please accept my apologies.
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Please accept my apologies.
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These are all more formal ways of saying sorry.
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I hope you found this video useful.
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Let me know in the comments if you can think of any other alternatives.
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Again, there's nothing wrong with the word sorry, but sorry can be used in many different situations and it's always a good idea to know as many alternatives as possible.
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Hope you found this video useful.
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leave a like subscribe to English at the Ring and
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if you want to study with me click the link in the description below to learn more about our online programs.
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I'll see you in the next video.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B1 is gebaseerd op de video “Stop Saying SORRY in English - Say This Instead!”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: example, situation, word, apologies, alternatives. Deze video bevat 82 zinnen en 654 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 4:05. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 160 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 84% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 14 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| apologize werkwoord | /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ | zich verontschuldigen, verantwoorden |
| apology zelfstandig naamwoord | /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | verontschuldiging |
| pardon zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈpɑːdn̩/ | vergeving |
| sympathy zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/ | medelijden, sympathie |
| phrase zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | uitspraak |
| informally bijwoord | informeel | |
| stereotype zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/ | stereotype |
| interrupt werkwoord | /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ | afbreken, onderbreken |
| inconvenience zelfstandig naamwoord | /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/ | ongemak, verstoring |
| litter zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | strooisel |
| sincerely bijwoord | /sɪnˈsɪɹli/ | oprecht |
| subscribe werkwoord | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | abonneren |
| unfortunate bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/ | onfortuinlijk |
| inform werkwoord | /ɪnˈfɔɹm/ | informeren, inlichten |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- What's wrong with this phrase?
- For example, I'm sorry for making a mistake.
- Could you say that again?
- For example, sorry, do you have a moment?
- Do you have time to talk later?
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Mogelijkheid met “might / may” might/may + werkwoord — iets is mogelijk maar niet zeker | might be · might also say · might also use |
| Toekomst met “will” will + werkwoord — een besluit, belofte of voorspelling | won't work · I'll have · I'll see |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — iets dat nu of in deze periode gebeurt | you're going · you're declining · you're saying |
| Verplichting: must / have to / need to zeggen dat iets nodig is | have to pass |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 24 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, you're, I'll. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, stereotype /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, inconvenience /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/, unfortunate /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/, subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: lastly /ˈlæstli/, sadly /ˈsædli/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als apologize, apology, pardon.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.