对不起 我来晚了 路上堵车
“Sorry, I'm late. I got caught in traffic.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“It's so late and she still hasn't shown up yet? Stuck in traffic.”
对不起 我来晚了 路上 堵车
“Sorry, I'm late. I got caught in traffic.”
我们家大明星来了 大明星 大明星 坐下
“Here is our superstar! Superstar! Superstar! Sit down.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Attributing lateness to traffic congestion preserves face by deflecting personal blame toward external, uncontrollable urban conditions.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
sorry / excuse me
The most standard and versatile way to express an apology in Chinese.
arrived late
A natural, high-frequency spoken phrase used upon arriving late to an appointment or event.
traffic jam on the road
The quintessential excuse in modern Chinese cities for running late.
Indicates a newly emerged state or completed realization of running late.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Sorry I'm late. Sorry, I didn't hear you.”
“Sorry, I'm late.”
“Sorry. I just feel so bad.”
“Sorry, I'm late. I'll punish myself with a drink.”
“I'm sorry. I've already left.”
“I'm sorry I came home late again.”
“Sorry. I have to keep you alive.”
“Sorry. I have a few questions to ask and it just takes a while.”
“I'm sorry. I messed everything up today.”
“Already late from traffic, and now you. Sorry.”
“Sorry. I really didn't mean to.”
“Sorry. That wasn't on purpose.”
“I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to.”