Imagine the scene: you have just boarded a bus in Dublin. As you put away your phone, you stop in the middle of the aisle. Behind you, someone says Sorry. You have not felt any bump. They are simply letting you know that they would like to get past. You step aside and both of you carry on. The whole exchange has taken just one word and a shift of the shoulder.
On 11 November 2026, columnist Seán Moncrieff devoted an amused piece in The Irish Times to the little sorrys that punctuate interactions in Ireland. His reference to ‘dozens of times a day’ is the stuff of column writing. For travellers, the more useful question lies elsewhere: what is the person who has just said sorry trying to do?
In a café, you are trying to reach the exit behind two people in conversation. Sorry, can I get past? is all you need. The word acknowledges the small inconvenience before it even happens. A simple sorry can have the same effect if the person indicates the space they want to move through or begins to step aside. In French, people would often do exactly the same thing with pardon.
The phrase also works when you need someone’s attention. At a station counter, Sorry, is this the queue for tickets? is a way of asking whether this is the ticket queue. Excuse me works too. The aim is to signal that you are addressing the other person before asking your question, especially if they are already occupied.
The server answers you just as the coffee machine starts up. If you say Sorry? with rising intonation, they may understand that you did not hear them. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary notes this use beyond Ireland. To avoid any ambiguity, especially amid noise, say Sorry, could you say that again, please?
Intonation offers a clue, but the situation matters more. After a mumbled platform announcement, Sorry? will probably prompt a repetition. After an unexpected price, the same word may express surprise. And if an accent throws you, you can ask for the specific detail you missed: Sorry, did you say platform two? Our guide to Irish accents offers further pointers for your ear.
If someone spills your coffee and says I’m sorry. Let me get you another one, they are apologising and offering to put things right. By contrast, in I’m sorry to hear that, the person is expressing sympathy without accepting responsibility. And Sorry, but I think that’s my seat introduces an objection. Translating all three simply as ‘I am sorry’ would lose what sets these exchanges apart.
Linguist Anne Barron compared how apologies are made in Irish and English English. Her study identifies shared strategies and differences in how they are phrased, particularly in the use of explanations in the Irish data examined. It measures neither the number of sorrys spoken each day nor people’s sincerity. In other words, it is better to listen to what accompanies the word than to assign it an intention in advance.
In the bus aisle, let the person through. If they have not heard your question, repeat it calmly. For a minor bump with no consequences, No worries or That’s all right means there is no problem. And if you are the one trying to get off at the next stop, Sorry, can I get past, please? will do nicely. For more practical situations, see our tips for getting by in English in Ireland.
