How to Say "Sorry" in Russian

There are two everyday ways to say "sorry" in Russian: извините (izviníte) when you are being polite or formal, and прости (prostí) with friends. Both also work to get someone's attention, like "excuse me".

In Russian

извините

izviníte - sorry / excuse me (formal)

Variants & registers

простиprostí
sorry / forgive me - to one friend (informal)
informal
извиниizviní
sorry - the informal singular of извините
informal
проститеprostíte
sorry / excuse me - formal, interchangeable with извините
formal
мне очень жальmne óchen zhal
I'm very sorry - sympathy, not an apology for a fault
heartfelt

Breakdown & pronunciation

Pronunciation

извините has its stress on the third syllable: iz-vi-NEE-tye. прости is pra-STEE, stress on the last syllable. The о in прости is unstressed, so it sounds like "a".

Example sentences

Извините, я опоздал.
Izviníte, ya opozdál.
Sorry, I'm late.
Извините, где метро?
Izviníte, gde metró?
Excuse me, where is the metro?
Прости, я не хотел.
Prostí, ya ne khotél.
Sorry, I didn't mean to.
Мне очень жаль.
Mne óchen zhal.
I'm very sorry.

Usage & etiquette

извини / извините literally means "excuse me" and is the all-purpose apology and attention-getter - use it to apologize, to squeeze past someone, or to start a question to a stranger.

прости / простите means "forgive me" and is a little weightier - good for a real apology. For expressing sympathy about something that is not your fault (bad news, a loss), use мне жаль ("I'm sorry"), not извините.

Practice

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FAQ

How do you say "sorry" in Russian?

Formally, "sorry" is извините (izviníte); informally it is прости (prostí). Both also serve as "excuse me" to get attention.

What is the difference between извините and простите?

They overlap heavily. извините leans toward "excuse me" (minor things, getting attention); простите leans toward "forgive me" (a sincere apology). Both are formal/polite.

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