British people are famous for apologizing (道歉) in almost every situation. 1 we are apologizing for asking a question, for our bad weather or we sneeze before others (打喷嚏),we are probably the number-one nation for apologies.
We pride ourselves on our polite2 in public. As a result, we use the word "sorry" quite a lot—even when we don't really 3 it! Usually, if you want to ask someone for the time, you would start by saying "Sorry to bother you. Do you know the time?" If you're five minutes late for an appointment (约会), you would generally 4 the person by saying "Sorry, I'm late!"
We use the word "sorry" in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has slightly 5over time. The two main dictionary definitions (定义) of "sorry" are: feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or feeling regret because you've done something wrong. Usually, when you want to ask a stranger a question, you 6 with "Sorry to disturb you." In this situation, we aren't saying sorry because we feel sad for that person or because we feel regret.
So what does "sorry" really mean? Well, in the British 7, saying "sorry" is a way to be polite, especially to people who you don't know very well. It's also a very 8way to get what you want. 9, an actor asked different people on a rainy day if he could use their mobile phones. When he asked one group of strangers without apologizing first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. 10, when he apologized to another group about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47 per cent successful. So maybe saying "sorry" is not just being polite, but it is also a good method to get what you want too!
