How to spot a (mildly mad) Brit abroad: sorry, Not sorry

We say “sorry” even when it’s clearly your fault.

Someone bumps into us. “Oh, sorry!” We apologise to inanimate objects. We apologise for existing. (I once apologised to a filing cabinet I walked into. It did not apologise back.)

It’s the sound British English makes before getting to the point.

You don’t need to take it personally, and you definitely don’t need to apologise back.

Quick win: When your British colleague says, “Sorry, but could I maybe add something?“, they’re not sorry. They just want to speak. Let them.

PS The average British person says sorry roughly eight times before lunch. Nobody involved has done anything wrong.