Learning English in your spare time is really helping you, but what happens when you need to use it at work? We’ve been studying for ages and yet do not speak fluently. Time to speak more English if we want to speak better English.

Here are some easy ways to practice your English at work:

Try to use English at work every day: you can start slowly but steadily, do something in English as part of your work, send a mail, make a phone call, book an appointment, etc. Start with easy tasks and increase difficulty gradually. Have some of your colleagues help you when preparing and/or to check your message.

Interact on social networks in English, especially in professional ones, where you get to practice vocabulary related to your field. Interacting means to get actively involved, not just read and share, so follow specialised/professional blogs, news, media and write comments, participate in groups, report news, express your point of view, etc.

Do you have a foreign co-worker? Make friends with him/her. Take advantage and try to have casual conversations first, before moving into more professional ones.

Or just do it the other way around, some people feel more confident when they know the subject they are talking about. Do whatever feels right for you.

You don’t have a multicultural work environment where you get the chance to practice your English skills? Create one!! agree on a day/time and try to get your team involved in communicating in English for that time span. Or do a regular progress meeting in English, to get used to speaking it in a “safe” environment at the work place. Certainly, you don’t want to start on it with that very important meeting at the client, but you’ll be better prepared and more confident if you’ve already had some practice.

Probably some days you just won’t feel like it, or you’ll have too much workload to focus on English but keep it mind and create a habit. The most important thing is that it becomes a regular practice and not something that feels awkward.

Easy, peasy!

Hey buddies! en este post nos centramos en algo muy simple pero a la vez bastante confuso porque veremos la diferencia entre sorry y excuse me y cómo se usan en inglés correctamente.

Por lo general se suele decir que excuse me se usa antes de molestar o interrumpir a alguien y sorry para pedir disculpas después, pero hay también otros matices y usos. Vamos a verlos en detalle

Excuse me

to get someone’s attention – para captar la atención de alguien, por ejemplo, cuando queremos preguntar algo

E.g.
Excuse me, could you help me?
Excuse me, is this the right way to the station?

to ask/interrupt someone politely – para pedir permiso o interrumpir educadamente

E.g.
Excuse me, can I go inside?
Excuse me, I would like to add something here.

to apologize for something rude or embarrassing – para pedir disculpas por algo que puede resultar maleducado o puede ofender a otra persona

E.g.
Oh, excuse me, I didn’t know this was your seat.
Excuse me, was that your bag? I didn’t see it.

to ask someone to move in order to pass – para pedir paso, por ejemplo al salir del metro

E.g.
Excuse me, Can I get past?
Excuse me, I need to get through.

Este caso de ir en el metro o el bus es un buen ejemplo para ver la diferencia entre excuse me y sorry: diríamos excuse me para pedir que nos dejen salir y si por accidente pisamos o empujamos a alguien, entonces diríamos sorry.

E.g.
Excuse me, could I get past?… Oh, sorry, did I step on your foot?

to say politely that you are leaving – para indicar educadamente que te ausentarás

E.g.
Excuse me for a minute. I’ll be right back.
I must leave now, excuse me.

Estas son las situaciones más comunes en las que necesitaremos usar excuse me. Ahora para ver la diferencia entre sorry y excuse me, vamos a ver los usos de sorry.

Sorry

to ask someone to repeat something that you have not heard properly – en lenguaje hablado y de una manera informal usamos sorry? para pedir a alguien que te repita algo que no has oído (también suele usarse simplemente what?)

E.g.
Are you coming? – Sorry? – I said «are you coming?»
Just delete it – What? – You can just delete the file.

En esta situación podemos usar también pardon? aunque es bastante más formal y otras variaciones como pardon me? o I beg your pardon?.

Además usamos otras expresiones con sorry para pedir disculpas, atento a las preposiciones y las diferentes estructuras

to be sorry about something bad that has happened

E.g.
I’m sorry about what I said.
I’m sorry about your situation.

to be sorry for an inconvenience, trouble, delay, etc.

E.g.
Sorry for the inconveniences this may cause.
Sorry for the trouble caused.
Sorry for the delay in the delivery.

to be sorry for doing something

E.g.
I’m sorry for not telling you before.
I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.

to be sorry that something happened

E.g.
I’m sorry that I can’t come tomorrow.
I’m sorry that you saw that.

Para que lo tengas todo de un vistazo, y recuerdes mejor la diferencia entre sorry y excuse me te hemos preparado este cuadro

Esperamos que te haya resultado útil y no olvides dejarnos tus dudas en los comentarios ????