〜てすみません: Apologizing for Doing Something
When you actually need it
You already know すみません as "excuse me / sorry." On its own it is a bare apology; the moment you want to name what you did wrong — showed up late, forgot something, kept a person waiting — you attach a verb in its て-form in front of it. That is the everyday polite register for owning up to someone you owe a little deference: a coworker, a teacher, a customer, a client. Not so stiff it sounds like a press release, not so loose it sounds like you're brushing a friend off — it lands right where most real-world apologies live.
So the shape you're reaching for is [action in て-form] + すみません = "sorry for doing / for the fact that ~."
Building the request
Take the verb's て-form and add すみません:
| Verb (dictionary) | て-form | + すみません |
|---|---|---|
| 遅れる (be late) | 遅れて | 遅れてすみません |
| 待たせる (make wait) | 待たせて | 待たせてすみません |
| 言う (say) | 言って | 言ってすみません |
| 心配かける (cause worry) | 心配かけて | 心配かけてすみません |
Note 待たせる — that's the causative ("make/let someone do"). 待たせてすみません literally means "sorry for making you wait," one of the most common apologies you'll hear and use. See the causative for how 待つ becomes 待たせる.
お待たせしてすみません。
お またせして すみません。
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Set polite phrase using the causative 待たせる.
To apologize for something you failed to do, keep the same frame but put the verb in its negative て-form, 〜なくて, before すみません:
連絡しなくてすみません。
れんらく しなくて すみません。
Sorry for not getting in touch.
ヤッタンは手伝えなくてすみませんと謝った。
ヤッタンは てつだえなくて すみませんと あやまった。
Yattan apologized for not being able to help.
You may also hear the shortened 〜ないですみません (連絡しないですみません). Both mean "sorry for not ~"; 〜なくてすみません is the safer, more standard choice.
The politeness itself is a dial. The て-form never changes — you shift register by swapping only the apology word up or down:
| Register | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | 〜てごめん(ね) | 遅れてごめんね (sorry I'm late) |
| Standard polite | 〜てすみません | 遅れてすみません |
| Formal | 〜て申し訳ありません | 遅れて申し訳ありません |
| Very formal | 〜て申し訳ございません | 遅れて申し訳ございません |
お待たせして申し訳ございません。
お またせして もうしわけ ございません。
I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting.
Business-level apology; 申し訳ございません is the most formal.
In real situations
The standard-polite すみません is the workhorse — reach for it when you're late, or when a reply slipped:
遅れてすみません。
おくれて すみません。
Sorry for being late.
遅れて (te-form of 遅れる) + すみません.
ヤッタンは宿題を忘れてすみませんと言った。
ヤッタンは しゅくだいを わすれて すみませんと いった。
Yattan said sorry for forgetting the homework.
モチ、返事が遅くなってすみません。
モチ、へんじが おそく なって すみません。
Mochi, sorry that my reply got late.
Dial it all the way down and, among family, ごめんね carries the same て-form apology in a soft, casual key:
ヤッタンの弟は、遊んでばかりでごめんねと言った。
ヤッタンの おとうとは、あそんで ばかりで ごめんねと いった。
Yattan's little brother said sorry for doing nothing but playing.
The flip side of apologizing is thanking. When someone does something for you, the parallel pattern is 〜てくれてありがとう ("thanks for doing"): 手伝ってくれてありがとう = "thanks for helping." Same て-form, opposite sentiment.
Getting the level right
- Using the plain form instead of て-form. It's 遅れてすみません, not 遅れるすみません. The verb must be in its て-form.
- Dropping the なくて in the negative. "Sorry for not replying" needs 返事しなくてすみません, not 返事してすみません (which means sorry for replying).
- Mixing up 待つ and 待たせる. 待ってすみません = "sorry for waiting (myself)." To apologize for making the other person wait, use the causative: 待たせてすみません / お待たせしてすみません.
- Over-shortening in formal settings. ごめん(ね) is for friends and family. With a teacher, customer, or boss, use 〜てすみません or 〜て申し訳ありません.
The short version
- て-form + すみません = "sorry for (doing)": 遅れてすみません.
- Negative 〜なくてすみません = "sorry for not (doing)."
- 待たせてすみません uses the causative = "sorry for making you wait."
- Register: ごめん(ね) (casual) → すみません (polite) → 申し訳ありません / ございません (formal).
Practice it
Pick the correct way to apologize with 〜てすみません.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
モチ、約束の時間に＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
How do I form 〜てすみません?
Put the verb in its て-form and add すみません: 遅れる → 遅れて → 遅れてすみません ('sorry for being late').
How do I say sorry for NOT doing something?
Use the negative て-form 〜なくて plus すみません: 連絡しなくてすみません ('sorry for not getting in touch'). The casual 〜ないですみません also exists.
Why is it 待たせてすみません and not 待ってすみません?
待たせる is the causative of 待つ, meaning 'make (someone) wait.' So 待たせてすみません = 'sorry for making you wait,' while 待ってすみません would mean 'sorry for waiting myself.'
What's the most polite version?
Swap すみません for 申し訳ありません, or in business settings 申し訳ございません: 遅れて申し訳ございません. For friends, casual ごめん(ね) is fine.
Where 〜てすみません fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜てくれる · N5 — 〜てくれる means someone does something FOR you as a kindness: モチが手伝ってくれた. Learn the form, the polite 〜てくださる, the request 〜てくれませんか, and how it differs from 〜てあげる and 〜てもらう.
- The て-form · N5 — The て-form is the gateway to dozens of Japanese grammar patterns. Learn the conjugation rules for every verb group, the famous song trick, and see clear examples.
Once this clicks, go on to
- Causative Form · N4 — The Japanese causative (使役形, 〜させる) means make OR let someone do something. Learn how to form it, when it's coercion vs. permission, the を/に particle rule, and 〜させてください.
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てよかった — 〜てよかった adds よかった to a verb's て-form to say 'I'm glad that…': 日本に来てよかった. Learn the formation, the negative 〜なくてよかった, and how it shows relief.
- 全然・あまり・そんなに + Negative — 全然, あまり, and そんなに pair with a negative to say 'not at all,' 'not very,' and 'not so much.' Learn each pattern, the casual 全然 + positive, and the common negative-dropping mistake.
- 〜かもしれない — かもしれない means 'might' or 'maybe' — it shows you're unsure. Learn how it attaches to plain verbs, adjectives, and nouns, plus the casual かも and how it ranks against でしょう and はず.
- Potential Form — The potential form means 'can / be able to': 食べる→食べられる, 書く→書ける, する→できる. Learn how to form it by verb group, the が particle shift, and ら-抜き.
- 〜ようになる — 〜ようになる describes a change — something that wasn't true or possible before, but now is. Learn the formation, nuance, and see 12 example sentences with a quick practice quiz.
- 〜始める・〜続ける・〜終わる・〜出す — Compound verbs of phase: add 〜始める, 〜続ける, 〜終わる, or 〜出す to a verb's ます-stem to say start, keep, finish, or suddenly begin doing something.