To get a stranger's attention in Spanish, say perdone (pehr-DOH-neh) or disculpe (dees-KOOL-peh), the polite usted forms. With friends or people your age, use perdona or disculpa. To squeeze past someone, say con permiso or simply perdón. And if you did not catch what someone said, ask ¿perdón? or, in Spain, ¿cómo?
- Getting attention (formal)
- perdone / disculpe
- Getting attention (informal)
- perdona / disculpa
- Getting past
- con permiso
- Pardon?
- ¿perdón? / ¿cómo?
- Level
- A1
Should you say perdone or disculpe?
Both mean excuse me, and both have a formal and an informal version. The ending tells you which: -e (perdone, disculpe) is for usted, -a (perdona, disculpa) for tú. In everyday use, the two are interchangeable.
| Spanish | Form | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Perdone | usted | Stopping a stranger in the street, calling a waiter |
| Disculpe | usted | The same; very common in shops and offices |
| Perdona | tú | Interrupting a friend, a young person, a classmate |
| Disculpa | tú | The same, to someone you call tú |
| Perdón | neutral | Quick and short; works with anyone |
| Con permiso | neutral | Getting past someone, or leaving a room or table |
| Oye / Oiga | tú / usted | Hey, listen: direct, can sound brusque to strangers |
A formal note that starts with perdone. Someone has found Clara's lost wallet and returned it with a message:
Perdone, encontré su cartera en el Metro.And the informal version, when Alba meets a young musician with a guitar on her new landing:
Eh, perdona. ¿Vives aquí?How do you get past someone in Spanish?
In a crowded bar, a narrow aisle or a full train, con permiso (with your permission) or a simple perdón does the job. On the Metro or a bus in Spain, you will often hear a question aimed at the person blocking the door: are you getting off?
Con permiso.
Excuse me.
Getting past, or getting up from the table.
Perdón, ¿me deja pasar?
Excuse me, can I get past?
Formal; ¿me dejas pasar? with tú.
¿Se baja en la próxima?
Are you getting off at the next stop?
Spain, on the Metro or bus.
How do you say excuse me when you didn't hear?
In Spain, ¿cómo? (literally "how?") is the everyday way to ask someone to repeat. ¿Perdón? and ¿perdone? are a little more careful. ¿Qué? on its own is common between friends but sounds abrupt to strangers.
¿Cómo? No te he oído.
Sorry? I didn't hear you.
Spain.
Perdone, ¿puede repetir, por favor?
Excuse me, could you repeat that, please?
¿Mande?
Pardon?
Mexico; polite, not used in Spain.
Is oye a rude way to say excuse me?
Oye (tú) and oiga (usted) come from oír, to hear, and mean "listen" or "hey". Between friends, oye is completely normal and often just opens a sentence. To a stranger, oiga can sound abrupt unless your tone is warm, so perdone is the safer way to stop someone in the street. Here oye opens a text message that goes to the wrong person:
Un martes por la noche, María escribe en el teléfono: "Oye, ¿nos casamos?"For apologies rather than interruptions, see how to say sorry in Spanish.
Read A1 Spanish stories set in shops, flats and on the Metro, and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you call a waiter in Spain?
Catch their eye and say perdone or disculpe. Among younger people and in casual bars, perdona is common too.
What is the difference between perdón and con permiso?
Perdón is a quick sorry or excuse me for any small bother. Con permiso asks permission, so it is used before you do something: getting past someone, entering a room or leaving the table.
Does disculpe mean sorry or excuse me?
Both, like the English "excuse me". It can get someone's attention or apologise for a small bother. The tú form is disculpa.
How do you say excuse me, where is…?
Perdone, ¿dónde está…? For example: perdone, ¿dónde está la estación? (excuse me, where is the station?).
What does mande mean?
In Mexico, ¿mande? is a polite way of saying pardon? or yes? when someone calls you. It is not used this way in Spain.