But nailing a genuine “I’m sorry” is often anything but easy. There are numerous ways to veer off course, drag in unnecessary issues, or signal you don’t really mean what you’re saying. In fact, using two little words — “if” or “but” — in your apology could end up completely negating it. That’s because “I’m sorry if...” or “I’m sorry but...” usually position the apology as conditional, and what follows can cancel out any accountability you might have intended to take or cast blame on the other person, which is the opposite of what you want to achieve. Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong?

Source: Huffington Post October 26, 2023 14:32 UTC