"excuse me" "pardon me" "I'm sorry" "forgive me" "I apologize" Going in the way of others..(passing by, going through) (probable locations: theater seats, on lines) - "excuse me" "pardon me" "I'm sorry" Accidental physical contact..(bumping, stepping on) - "excuse me" "pardon me" "I'm sorry" "forgive me" "I apologize" Interrupting someone from what they're doing...(watching tv, conversation, telephone) - "excuse me" "pardon me" "I'm sorry" Uncertain of something...(when you didn't hear something correctly) - "excuse me?" "pardon?" "I'm sorry, what (did you say?)" Asking for forgiveness (when you did something wrong) - "I'm sorry" "forgive me" "I apologize" Asking to be excused (leaving dinner early, leaving the classroom) - "excuse me" "pardon me" "I'm sorry" "forgive me" (I have something to tend to first) *whew* I might have left some out, correct me if I did. Thank you~

They are different . You say " excuse me " when you need some one 's attention . " I'm sorry " would be referred to these meanings : " I beg your pardon " or " I regret to say that ... " depending on the situation you encounter . " Forgive me " should be changed to " Please forgive me " , it sounds more polite . You use it when you want to apology someone and this sentence show your regret as well . To forgive can be understood the same like to tolerate . You use " pardon " when you want someone to repeat or to explain something in an easier way .

Most of those are basically the same thing. The odd ball is "apologize me." It's okay to say something like "I apologize" but if you say "apologize me" people may think you want them to apologize to you, which could be quite a misunderstanding and is also very poor English to begin with.

What's about "pardon" yet ?

All of those phrases almost mean the same thing, except people use "excuse me" when they burp, or want to get past someone who is in the way. "I apologize", "i'm sorry", and "forgive me" are used when you have offended someone.