“How do I stop apologising in English?”

“How do I stop apologising in English?”

Someone asked me this last week. She’d counted: seven apologies in one meeting. None of them necessary.

The apology reflex is understandable. It feels polite, it feels safe. But it quietly signals to the room that something has gone wrong. Usually nothing has.

The practical shift: replace the apology with something neutral.

“Sorry for the late reply” → “Thank you for your patience.”
“Sorry, can you repeat that?” → “Could you say that again, please?”
“Sorry to interrupt” → “I’d like to add something here.”

Same meaning. No apology.

Every unnecessary apology trains your brain to treat English as a risk.

You can train it differently – one sentence at a time.