Today's English Expression 23/30 Stage: Receiving and Replying to Reviews. All example sentences were created specifically for this post. They are not taken from actual repository comments, and the situations are illustrative.
Table of Contents
- At a Glance
- 1. Meaning and Nuance
- 2. Example Sentences
- 3. Similar Expressions and Differences
- 4. Common Mistakes Made by Korean Speakers
- 5. One-Line Practice
- Sample Answer
- References
At a Glance
| Expression | Thanks for bearing with me. / Please bear with me. |
| Meaning | Thank you for bearing with me / Please bear with me for a moment. |
| Usage Context | When finishing a long review, when a reply is late, during meetings |
| Politeness | Polite and warm |
1. Meaning and Nuance
bear is a verb meaning "to endure, to bear." Merriam-Webster defines bear with someone as "to treat (someone) with tolerance and patience," and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries defines it as "to show patience with someone." Thanks for bearing with me means "Thank you for bearing with me while I took my time."
The great thing about this expression is that it turns an apology into gratitude. Sorry for the delay focuses on my fault, whereas Thanks for bearing with me focuses on the other person's patience. When a review goes back and forth five or six times, wrapping it up with this phrase makes it a warm greeting that acknowledges the reviewer's effort. Of course, if the delay is obvious, you can use both expressions together.
Usage varies depending on the tense. Use Thanks for bearing with me (with the gerund) after something is finished, and Please bear with me to ask for understanding in advance while something is in progress. A typical example is saying Bear with me for a second when screen sharing is delayed in a meeting.
It is often confused with bare, which sounds the same. bare means "to uncover or strip," making Bare with me a nonsensical sentence. You must always use bear.
2. Example Sentences
Situation 1: When finishing a long review
I think everything is addressed now. Thanks for bearing with me through all the iterations. I learned a lot from this review.
iteration means "repetition or round," referring to multiple rounds of reviews.
Situation 2: When a reply is late
Sorry for the slow response, I was traveling last week. Thanks for bearing with me. I've pushed the changes now.
Situation 3: During a meeting or screen sharing
Bear with me for a second, I'm pulling up the dashboard.
pull up is a colloquial term meaning "to bring up (a screen or materials)."
3. Similar Expressions and Differences
- Thanks for your patience. The meaning is almost identical and slightly more formal. It is also frequently used in customer service and announcements.
- Sorry for the delay. Focuses on the apology. It sounds natural when you briefly add the reason for the delay.
- Hang on a sec. A casual colloquial phrase meaning "Just a second." Used in chats between colleagues or in meetings.
4. Common Mistakes Made by Korean Speakers
- Bare with me. The spelling is wrong. The meaning changes completely.
- Corrected sentence: Bear with me.
- Thank you for waiting me. wait requires for when meaning "to wait for someone/something."
- Corrected sentence: Thanks for waiting for me. or Thanks for bearing with me.
- I'm terribly sorry for disturbing your precious time. Directly translating the Korean greeting "I'm sorry for taking up your precious time" sounds overly heavy.
- Corrected sentence: Thanks for taking the time to review this, and for bearing with me.
5. One-Line Practice
Rewrite the following Korean sentence as a PR comment.
Thank you for waiting while I made multiple revisions. I've reflected even the final comment.
Sample Answer
Thanks for bearing with me through the multiple rounds. I've addressed the last comment as well.
rounds refers to the "rounds" of review exchanges. as well means "even" and is placed at the end of the sentence.
Titi's Note. Saying "Thank you for waiting" instead of "Sorry for the delay" puts the other person's effort at the center of the conversation.
References
- Merriam-Webster, "bear with": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear with
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, "bear with": https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/bear-with