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The most common phrase in german phrase book for apology would be es tut mir leid or tut mir leid to mean "it does me suffering".

From the questions on the difference between "entschuldigen" or "Entschuldigung"

it remains unclear when to use which.

How do you use apology towards specific situations? e.g. "I am sorry for my late reply." in emails or "I am sorry, the person you've just asked for is not available"

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Both Entschuldigung (which is a noun; it is an abbreviated form of ich bitte um Entschuldigung) and entschuldigen Sie can be used in a similar way to es tut mir leid; unlike it, they can also be used when interrupting someone:

Excuse me, what time is it?

Entschuldigung, wie spät ist es?

(Es tut mir leid, wenn ich störe, aber ... is also possible.)

I'd express your example sentences like this:

Es tut mir leid, dass ich mich so spät melde.

Bitte entschuldigen Sie, dass ich mich jetzt erst melde.

Frau Meier ist derzeit leider nicht im Hause.

Leider is another way to say that you are sorry. It is only suitable for a minor inconvenience.

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    I'd add that Es tut mir Leid is more personal (i.e. used if someone passed away) and used to express your own grief over something (=> I'm sorry) while Entschuldigen Sie bitte is used if you seek the acknowledgment of the other (=> Please excuse my action).
    – S22h
    Commented Jun 17, 2013 at 8:47
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    I'd group the German examples in three categories: a) when you are in some (even minor) way responsible. Then phrases involving the word "Entschuldigung" and its derivates are appropriate, along with "es tut mir leid". b) when you're not responsible (i.e. when you could substitute "I'm afraid" for "I'm sorry" in English). Then "es tut mir leid" and "leider" are appropriate. c) when you're interrupting someone or asking for something. Then you can only use "Entschuldigung" and its derivates.
    – Mac
    Commented Jun 17, 2013 at 12:00
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I'm sorry ===> Es tut mir leid

Sorry ===> Entschuldigung / Verzeihung

Excuse me please ===> Entschuldigen Sie bitte / Verzeihen Sie mir bitte

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    Add-on: Verzeihen Sie / Verzeihung is antiquated, sounds very courtly. Furthermore, only use Es tut mir leid as I'm sorry but never use it as Excuse me.
    – äüö
    Commented Jun 17, 2013 at 13:36
  • @falkb correct addition. Verzeihung / Verzeihen Sie is in fact antiquated, but still in use sometimes. So thought I will use it also in my answer in case if someone listen these words, he or she will know about the correct meaning.
    – user2238
    Commented Jun 17, 2013 at 13:55
  • @falkb: Thank you. I was going to post a question regarding the difference between verzeihung and entschuldigen.
    – Dave
    Commented Dec 31, 2015 at 21:33
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Actually, "Es tut mir leid" and also "Entschuldigung" are both replacing the old "Verzeihen Sie mir / Verzeihung". "Verzeihung" is/was strictly used to apologize for your own actions. "Es tut mir leid" is in fact also used to apologize for your own actions, however, the cause for the apology is then more serious (it comes close to the more formal "Ich entschuldige mich" then). "Entschuldigung" (or also "’tschuldigung" in modern slang) is appropriate in the daily routine.

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If you're not trying to be formal, saying "sorry" or "entschuldigung" is just fine. I use sorry in most situations even though german is my mother tongue.

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I am still learning German, but a similar interjection appears to be "Wie bitte?". In this case, an apology for not having complete clarity or experiencing incredulousness about something just said i.e like the English "excuse me? Could you repeat/explain, because I don't believe what I've just heard!"

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    Welcome! What you are writing is essentially correct (I would not classify it as an apology, but it is polite and used n the way that you indicate). I do not think however that this is what the question asked for.
    – Carsten S
    Commented Dec 31, 2015 at 14:00
  • Wie bitte? can mean: "Sorry, I didn't catch that?"/"What's that?" or it can mean: "No way!".
    – Steffen Roller
    Commented Feb 29, 2016 at 22:20
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It really depends on the part of germany where u r in, the people you talk to and your social stand to them, like you would say:

to a friend -> "Sorry!" = "(En)'tschuldigung!" (the "En" is often not spoken and this is used, if you accidently hit your friend, or sth like that...)

to a teacher/professor/your boss/a coustomer -> "Excuse my action xy." = "Könnte ich um Verzeihung bitten?" (this is "good" german)

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  • You are asking for permission to apologise?
    – Carsten S
    Commented Aug 7, 2017 at 9:50
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I would add: "Es tut mir Leid" is used when you're sorry about a situation you didn't cause, e.g. their mother died. "Entschuldigung" is more appropriate if you're apologizing for your own actions, e.g. you killed their mother.

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    Welcome to German Language and Usage Beta! Please try not to repeat information from other answers. If you agree with an existing answer, the proper way to show that you support the idea is by upvoting. If you are still unable, invest time in the site to reach the privileges.
    – c.p.
    Commented Jun 21, 2013 at 9:51
  • "you killed their mother" wtf dude
    – Vahid Amiri
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 20:33

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