Learn Hardcore German: Er sagt ehrlich „Entschuldigung“, damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt. - He honestly says “sorry” so that the relationship seems friendly again.

Entschuldigung is capitalized because it is originally a noun in German (meaning apology or excuse), and all nouns in German are capitalized.

In this sentence, it’s being used as a fixed expression / interjection—something like saying “Sorry” in English. Grammatically it still counts as a noun (you could say die Entschuldigung), but when used alone like this, it functions more like an interjection:

Entschuldigung! – Sorry! / Excuse me!
Ich bitte um Entschuldigung. – I ask for (your) forgiveness.

So: noun by form, but functioning like an interjection in this context, and therefore capitalized.

Does Entschuldigung here mean the same as Es tut mir leid? When would you choose one over the other?

In this sentence, Entschuldigung is close in meaning to Es tut mir leid (I’m sorry), but there are nuances:

Entschuldigung
- Often used as “Sorry” / “Excuse me” in everyday speech.
- Common for small things: bumping into someone, interrupting, getting someone’s attention.
- Can sound a bit more casual or formulaic on its own.
Es tut mir leid
- Literally: “It causes me sorrow” → “I’m sorry”.
- Sounds more personal and emotional.
- Often used when you really feel bad or want to emphasize genuine regret.

In the given sentence, he says Entschuldigung and does it ehrlich (sincerely), so the combination makes it clear it’s not just a throwaway “oops, sorry”, but a genuine apology. You could also say:

Er sagt ehrlich: Es tut mir leid. – He says honestly: I’m sorry.

Both work, but Entschuldigung is the exact word appearing in the original sentence.

Is ehrlich an adjective or an adverb here? Why doesn’t it change form?

Here ehrlich is an adverb modifying the verb sagt: he honestly / sincerely says it.

As an adjective, ehrlich would describe a noun and might change endings:
- ein ehrlicher Mann – an honest man
- eine ehrliche Antwort – an honest answer
As an adverb, ehrlich describes how he says something, and in German adverbs generally do not change form:
- Er sagt ehrlich Entschuldigung. – He honestly says sorry.
- Sie entschuldigt sich ehrlich. – She apologizes sincerely.

So it stays ehrlich, without any ending, because it is used adverbially here.

Could ehrlich go in a different position? For example, can I say Er sagt „Entschuldigung“ ehrlich?

Word order with adverbs like ehrlich is somewhat flexible, but there are typical and more natural positions.

Most natural here are:

Er sagt ehrlich „Entschuldigung“.
Er sagt „Entschuldigung“ ehrlich. (possible, but sounds a bit less neutral)

Placing ehrlich right after the verb (sagt ehrlich) is very common and neutral. Putting it at the end (… „Entschuldigung“ ehrlich) is also grammatically correct but can sound more marked, as if you’re stressing that the manner is honest (almost like a corrective: “and he really does say it honestly, by the way”).

You could also say:

Er sagt „Entschuldigung“ ganz ehrlich. – He says “sorry”, honestly.

So yes, you can move ehrlich, but Er sagt ehrlich „Entschuldigung“ is the most straightforward and idiomatic for the neutral meaning.

What exactly does damit mean here, and is it the same as “with that”?

In this sentence, damit is a conjunction meaning “so that / in order that” and introduces a purpose:

Er sagt ehrlich „Entschuldigung“, damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt.
→ He says “sorry” honestly so that the relationship appears friendly again.

This damit is not the same as the pronoun + preposition combination da + mit = “with that / with it”.

German has two different uses:

damit as a conjunction (your sentence)
- Wir gehen früh ins Bett, damit wir morgen fit sind.
  → We go to bed early so that we are fit tomorrow.
damit as “with that/with it” (da + mit)
- Was soll ich damit machen? – What should I do with that?
- Ich bin nicht einverstanden damit. – I don’t agree with that.

Only the first meaning fits your sentence: purpose (so that / in order that).

Why is there a comma before damit?

There is a comma before damit because damit is introducing a subordinate clause.

Main clause: Er sagt ehrlich „Entschuldigung“
Subordinate clause: damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt

In German, all finite subordinate clauses (those with a full verb) are separated by a comma from the main clause. Some common subordinating conjunctions are dass, weil, obwohl, wenn, damit.

So the comma is mandatory:

Er lernt viel, damit er die Prüfung besteht.
Ich rufe dich an, damit wir das besprechen können.

Why does the verb wirkt go at the end of damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt?

In German, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like damit, weil, dass, wenn have the finite verb at the very end of the clause.

Pattern:

[conjunction] + [subject] + [other elements] + [finite verb]

In your sentence:

damit (conjunction)
die Beziehung (subject)
wieder freundlich (adverb + predicate adjective)
wirkt (finite verb at the end)

So:

damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt

Other examples:

weil er müde ist – because he is tired
dass sie sehr freundlich war – that she was very friendly
wenn das Wetter schön ist – if the weather is nice

Putting wirkt at the end is simply standard subordinate-clause word order.

Why does the sentence use wirkt instead of ist? What’s the difference?

wirken and sein overlap, but they are not the same:

sein (ist) = to be (actual state)
wirken (wirkt) = to appear / come across / seem (the impression something gives)

In your sentence:

…, damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich ist.
→ so that the relationship is friendly again (actual kind of relationship)
…, damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt.
→ so that the relationship comes across / appears friendly again (how it seems)

Using wirkt emphasises the outward impression: they want the relationship to look / feel friendly again, perhaps to both people or to others. It’s about the effect the relationship gives off, not just the internal fact.

Other examples with wirken:

Er wirkt müde. – He seems tired.
Die Wohnung wirkt sehr gemütlich. – The apartment appears very cozy.

What does wieder refer to here, and why does it come before freundlich?

wieder means again here. It indicates that the relationship was friendly before, then something happened, and now they want it to be friendly again.

Placement:

wieder freundlich = friendly again

Typical order is:

adverb(s) of time/frequency like wieder
followed by the adjective: freundlich

So wieder freundlich is the normal phrase order. Saying freundlich wieder would sound wrong in this meaning.

Compare:

Er ist wieder gesund. – He is healthy again.
Die Straßen sind wieder frei. – The streets are free/clear again.

What case is die Beziehung in, and how can I tell?

In damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt, die Beziehung is in the nominative case.

Reasons:

It is the subject of the verb wirkt.
- Ask: Who or what seems friendly again? → die Beziehung.
The article die can mark either nominative or accusative for feminine nouns, but the subject role and the verb wirkt tell you it’s nominative.

So the structure of the subordinate clause is:

Subject: die Beziehung
Predicate: freundlich wirkt

If Beziehung were an object, you’d expect a verb that takes an object and a different structure, which is not the case here.

Is freundlich describing the relationship itself or the way he says Entschuldigung?

freundlich is clearly describing die Beziehung, not his manner of speaking.

The clause is:

damit die Beziehung wieder freundlich wirkt

So:

Subject: die Beziehung
Predicate adjective: freundlich
Verb: wirkt

This means: so that the relationship appears friendly again.

If you wanted to describe how he says Entschuldigung, you’d typically put freundlich in the main clause near the verb sagt:

Er sagt freundlich „Entschuldigung“. – He says “sorry” in a friendly way.
Er sagt höflich und freundlich „Entschuldigung“. – He says “sorry” politely and kindly.

In your sentence, though, freundlich belongs to Beziehung, not to sagt.