This is Chip, and welcome to the anmi-eikaiwa kyoushitsu podcast dated October 30th, 2007.
Todays podcast is about expressing sorrow to a friend, a colleague, or a classmate.
One of our students asked me about using the phrase "I'm sorry" when someone has died. She told me about a coworker who was watching the hit series 24. In one scene, Jack Bauer said "I'm sorry--blah blah blah" in reference to the death of someone close to him.
Of course, there are many ways to express your condolences to someone who has just lost a loved one. In our class, we brainstormed and came up with a list of several ways to express condolences.
In the following examples, we arbitrarily chose the death of a father. If you use any of these phrases, just replace father with the relation of the person that passed away.
OK. Here is the list:
- I was deeply saddened to hear the news about the sudden death of your father.
- I was sad to hear the news of your father's passing.
- My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
- Please know that our love and concern are with you always.
- You are continually in my thoughts and prayers.
- I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
- I share in your grief and send my love.
- I am sorry to hear about your father's death.
- Please accept my condolences.
- I offer my sincerest condolences.
- Our hearts and prayers go out to you and your loved ones.
Visit our blog for a complete transcript of this podcast. Go to http://anmienglishtools.blogspot.com
Or go to Google and type ANMI, that's a, n, m, i, English Tips and Tools. Our blog should be the first link you see. You can also visit our website at www.anmi-eikaiwa.com and click on the ANMI English Tools link.
OK. That's all for today. Thanks for listening!
References:
1. Condolences & Eulogies: Finding the Perfect Words (携帯リンク)
2. Book of Condolences (携帯リンク)
3. 葬儀・法要・お悔やみの挨拶と手紙―文例がすぐに見つかる、気持ちが言葉になる (携帯リンク)
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.1 Japan License