| Weight | Say |
|---|---|
| Bumped into someone | सॉरी sorry |
| A genuine apology | माफ़ कीजिए maaf kijiye |
| Deep, formal regret | क्षमा कीजिए kshama kijiye |
To get past someone or get their attention, English speakers reach for "sorry". In Hindi that is सुनिए (suniye) — literally "listen" — and it is not rude at all. Saying maaf kijiye to a shopkeeper to ask a price would sound like you had broken something.
Maaf kijiye is the polite form. To a close friend or a child it becomes माफ़ करो (maaf karo). Using karo with an elder or a stranger is the single most common way learners accidentally sound disrespectful.
This is the aap/tum/tu distinction, and it runs through every verb in the language. The full guide is here.
Reading an answer is one thing; being corrected while you say it is another. EkGuru tutors teach one to one from $6 a lesson, and most offer a trial.