Uthman Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
sorry vs. afraid
Hi all!
Can "sorry & afraid" be used interchangabley?
fro example:
I'm afraid you're wrong.
Thank you very much!
Can "sorry & afraid" be used interchangabley?
fro example:
I'm afraid you're wrong.
Thank you very much!
Top answer
They are often similar in meaning: I'm sorry, but I cannot attend the meeting. I'm afraid I cannot attend the meeting. I'm afraid you're wrong.
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They are often similar in meaning:
I'm sorry, but I cannot attend the meeting.
I'm afraid I cannot attend the meeting.
I'm afraid you're wrong.
I'm sorry, but you're wrong.
But they are often not interchangeable:
He was sorry that he could not attend (= he apologized for not attending)
He was afraid that he could not attend (= he
I'm sorry, but I cannot attend the meeting.
I'm afraid I cannot attend the meeting.
I'm afraid you're wrong.
I'm sorry, but you're wrong.
But they are often not interchangeable:
He was sorry that he could not attend (= he apologized for not attending)
He was afraid that he could not attend (= he
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Even in this particular usage, they really can't be interchanged.
I'm afraid you're mistaken - A polite way to say "You're wrong."
I'm sorry to say, it appears you're mistaken - or I'm sorry, but I believe you're mistaken.
If you say "I'm sorry you're wrong" it makes it sound like what you regret is their incorrect answer/statement, which doesn't really work very well.
I'm afraid you're mistaken - A polite way to say "You're wrong."
I'm sorry to say, it appears you're mistaken - or I'm sorry, but I believe you're mistaken.
If you say "I'm sorry you're wrong" it makes it sound like what you regret is their incorrect answer/statement, which doesn't really work very well.
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