What Canadians Mean When We Say…

… Sorry*

• Excuse my behaviour and/or poor judgment.
• Say that again, please. I require clarification.
• I didn’t hear you. Please repeat.
• I do not mean to offend.
• My fault!
• Please like me.
• I want to made amends.
• I’m reluctant.
• I disagree.
• You are out of line.
• What is happening?
• I don’t like this.
• No.
• Let me mull this over a while.
• Are we still friends?
• I’m leaving.
• Over here!
• I hate myself.YOU
• Respectfully, no.
• Seriously, make me.
• Bored now.
• Hello.
• I should, but I won’t.
• No fair!
• I am out of line.
• Whatever! Maybe.
• I’m exhausted.
• Mic check, mic check.
• Welcome!
• I’m uncomfortable.
• Motherfucker.
• I do mean to offend.
• You caught me.
• This is happening??
• Goodbye.
• I don’t know.
• That’s perverse.
• Please stop.
• End. Of. Discussion.
• Oh, hell no!
• I want to, but I can’t.
• Shit.
• OK. But what now?
• There was a pause in the conversation.
• I do not need this in my life right now.
• You are behaving suspiciously.
• Exclude me from your plans.
• Acknowledge me.
• I want something from you.
• YOUR FACE.
• I am interrupting and I apologize, but I’d like to interject.
• Do shut up.
• I am in the right.
• Ain’t nobody got time for that!
• This is pointless, but go on.
• I did hear you, but I do not understand.
• You should know!
• I am not listening.
• This is your fault.
• I will now invalidate your existence.
• Yo.
• I got too excited.
• You are in the way.
• Am I in the way?
• Which way is it?
• Get out of the way.
• We’re closing soon.
• You have a point, but I don’t care.
• How disappointing.
• Word.
• I love you.
• You lost me.
• That’s a lie.
• I just don’t care.
• I am not sorry.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*My friend, Anna, once talked about the “niceness” of Canadians and how, in her experience, this being nice – describing other people, places, and situations as nice, nice nice (i.e. “He seems nice”, “the Prime Minister is doing a nice job”, “What a nice office”, “It was nice”) and saying sorry, sorry, sorry all the time – is just a highly-toned yet mostly unconscious form of passive aggression.

Anna, I’m sorry.