Loss and grief · Health
offer your condolences
express sympathy after a death
To offer your condolences means to express sympathy to someone who has lost a loved one.
This vs that
I offered my condolences to her family.
I said, 'I'm sorry for your loss.'
Hear it in real life
I was sorry to hear about your father.
Thank you. That's very kind of you.
I called to offer my condolences after hearing about your mother's death.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
This is the standard respectful phrase, especially in formal messages or serious conversations.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I want to send you my condolence.
Say: I want to offer you my condolences.
'Condolences' is plural in this phrase.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
offer your condolences to ___
I called to offer my condolences to the family.
We sent a card to offer our condolences.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about loss and grief.
come to terms with ___
It took him months to come to terms with the loss.
send your condolences
Please send my condolences to the family.
Loss and grief words
Health · Loss and grief: the words around “offer your condolences”.
More connectionsMore loss and grief words6
More loss and grief words
Your turn: say it out loud
I just wanted to offer my condolences.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
offer your condolences
express sympathy after a death
“I called to offer my condolences after hearing about your mother's death.”
heytardy