German · Real conversations
How to respond to “Es tut mir leid.” in German
An apology can be acknowledged without a long discussion. Choose the reply that reflects how you actually feel.
What you might hear
Es tut mir leid.
I'm sorry.
Choose a reply that fits
Schon gut.
That's okay.
Use when you are comfortable reassuring the person.
Mach dir keine Sorgen.
Don't worry about it.
Suitable for a minor issue that needs no further action.
Danke, dass du es mir gesagt hast.
Thanks for telling me.
Acknowledge the explanation without declaring everything resolved.
Ich weiß deine Entschuldigung zu schätzen.
I appreciate your apology.
Recognize the apology while leaving room for a further conversation.
Two short exchanges
A minor inconvenience
Es tut mir leid.
I'm sorry.
Schon gut.
That's okay.
A more careful apology
Entschuldigen Sie die Unannehmlichkeiten.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Mach dir keine Sorgen.
Don't worry about it.
Your turn
Acknowledge that the person has explained what happened.
Reveal a sample reply
Danke, dass du es mir gesagt hast.
Thanks for telling me.
This response guide in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
