sorry for/sorry about

[navi tasan]

Can one say:
1) I am sorry for what I did last night.
instead of:
2) I am sorry about what I did last night. ?


Can one say:
3) I am sorry for Tom.
instead of:
4) I am sorry about what I did to Tom. ?

 

[emsr2d2]

Can one say:
1) I am sorry for what I did last night.
instead of:
2) I am sorry about what I did last night. ?

1. Can one say "I am sorry for what I did last night" instead of "I am sorry about what I did last night"?

Can one say:
3) I am sorry for Tom.
instead of:
4) I am sorry about what I did to Tom. ?

2. Can one say "I am sorry for Tom" instead of "I am sorry about what I did to Tom"?

Please note my huge improvement to your layout. It's never a good idea to try to spread a question over several lines.

1. Both are possible but they don't mean exactly the same.
2. Both are possible and have completely different meanings.

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you very much, emsr2d2,

What is the difference between the meanings of '1' and '2'?

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you very much, emsr2d2.

What is the difference between the meanings of 1 and 2? (No quotation marks needed.)

In 1, for me, using "for" suggests genuine regret but using "about" is probably just a basic apology (genuine or not).

In 2, you've given us two completely different concepts, not just two different prepositions. "I am sorry for Tom" (more naturally, "I feel sorry for Tom") expresses general sympathy. We don't know what happened to Tom - he could have been bereaved, lost his job, broken his arm, been declared bankrupt or just about anything that would elicit sympathy. "I am sorry about what I did to Tom" talks about a specific past event - you did something to Tom and you're apologising for having done it.