In this lesson, we'll cover phrases used for apologizing. Since you haven’t quite mastered Nynorsk, it's probably a good idea to go over apology phrases, as they’ll likely come in handy. |
・ |
One of the most common way of saying “Excuse me” or “Pardon me,” in Nynorsk is |
Unnskyld |
Let’s break it down: |
(slow) Unn-skyld. |
Once more: |
Unnskyld. |
This expression can be used when you want to get someone's attention, before asking a question to a stranger (directions, for instance), or if you want to get past someone. When you try to work your way through a crowd, say unnskyld! This phrase can also be used for smaller transgressions when no one is really at fault. |
・ |
If you want to be even more apologetic, or if you’ve done something worse than just bumping into someone, you can say “I’m sorry.” |
Beklagar |
Let’s break it down: |
(slow) Be-kla-gar. |
Once more: |
Beklagar. |
This word literally means “apologizing,” but “I apologize” or simply “I'm sorry” is the best translation. |
・ |
Eg er lei meg |
is a phrase used to say that you are very sorry. It is used only for big apologies. |
Let’s break it down: |
(slow) Eg er lei meg. |
Once more: |
Eg er lei meg. |
The first word, eg, means “I” in English. |
The second word, er, is a form of the verb “to be.” So eg er is “I am.” |
(slow) Eg er. |
Eg er. |
Next we have lei which means “sad” or “sorrowful.” |
(slow) Lei. |
Lei. |
The last word, meg, means “me.” |
(slow) Meg . |
Meg. |
Let’s hear the whole expression one more time: |
(slow) Eg er lei meg. |
Eg er lei meg. |
The translation for this phrase is “I am very sorry.” |
・ |
If you've made a huge mistake or done something that you feel terrible about, then you can add the word veldig to the previous phrase, giving you |
Eg er veldig lei meg. |
Let’s hear veldig, meaning “very,” again: |
(slow) Vel-dig. |
Veldig. |
Let’s hear the whole phrase once more: |
(slow) Eg er vel-dig lei meg. |
Eg er veldig lei meg. |
We can translate this phrase as “I am terribly sorry!” |
Comments
Hide