but?

[emeraude]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and was unable to find the answer to my question in prevous posts.

I'm sorry but I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry but I didn't catch it.

I'm sorry I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry I didn't catch it.


Do I need to use "but" or can I omit it? If I need to use it, why?

Thanks for your help!
Emeraude

 

[corum]

1. You can substitute 'that' for 'but' without changing the meaning and the structure of the sentence.
2. You can omit 'that' after certain adjectives, including 'sorry'.

--> You can drop 'but'.

 

[emeraude]

1. You can substitute 'that' for 'but' without changing the meaning and the structure of the sentence.
2. You can omit 'that' after certain adjectives, including 'sorry'.

--> You can drop 'but'.

Hi Corum,

Thanks for the quick reply.

Cheers!

 

[Pepperoni Papaya]

Hi, I'm just curious. I always wonder why many people in this forum have to ask question about their own native language... don't you use it every day? ^^

 

[corum]

Hi, I'm just curious. I always wonder why many people in this forum have to ask question about their own native language... don't you use it every day? ^^

They just want to know whether they are using it correctly. Would you pass a language test on correct usage in your own mother tongue with 100%?

 

[Raymott]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and was unable to find the answer to my question in prevous posts.

I'm sorry but I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry but I didn't catch it.

I'm sorry I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry I didn't catch it.


Do I need to use "but" or can I omit it? If I need to use it, why?

Thanks for your help!
Emeraude

You can drop 'but', but you should add a semicolon (some people would accept a comma).
"I'm sorry; I don't remember his name."
The way you've written it means, "I'm sorry that I don't remember his name". That might be true, but it's not exactly what you mean.

There's also a difference between:
"I'm sorry I offended you." and
"I'm sorry; I offended you." - which mean basically, "[I think] I offended you. I'm sorry."

 

[bertietheblue]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and was unable to find the answer to my question in prevous posts.

I'm sorry but I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry but I didn't catch it.

I'm sorry I don't remember his name.
I'm sorry I don't know what you mean.
I'm sorry I didn't catch it.


Do I need to use "but" or can I omit it? If I need to use it, why?

Thanks for your help!
Emeraude

You can omit 'but' in speech with a pause (and, I'd say, rising intonation on the -ry syllable), in writing with a comma (certain other types of punctuation, eg dash or exclamation mark, are also possible - it really depends on your preference and how you say it).

You can also simply omit 'but' instead of replacing 'but' with 'that'.

So, eg:

'I'm sorry, I don't remember his name!' = I'm sorry but I don't remember his name

'I'm sorry I don't remember his name.' = I'm sorry that I don't remember his name

Here, the first sentence seems more natural (although context matters) and, as you see, I'd personally use an exclamation mark at the end of this sentence. On the other hand, I'd write 'I'm sorry I didn't catch the ball' without punctuation after 'sorry'. As to why - well, that's another question not asked here and I'll leave it there for my contribution.

[PS: posted at the same time as Raymott's response, which I didn't see]