1

I know to say: con permiso for excuse me. I usually use this when I need to walk past someone but are there other types of excuse me? Like for example I want to ask a stranger for directions or the time of day.

2

1 Answer 1

2

You point out a very interesting thing: "excuse me" can be used both for walking past someone, and for stopping someone to ask in the street.

To stop someone, you can say

  • Perdone
  • Disculpe

To apologize:

  • Perdón / perdone
  • Lo siento.
  • Lo lamento.

To walk past someone:

  • Perdón / perdone
  • Con permiso
  • Por favor.

There are many synonyms for the verbs themselves, but they can't be used to ask for permission. I think those are all.

4
  • I wouldn't use por favor to walk past someone; in Chile, that sounds rather odd and tends to upset people.
    – Schwale
    Aug 14, 2018 at 13:06
  • What about , paso, por favor?
    – FGSUZ
    Aug 14, 2018 at 19:12
  • Can you give me a sentence?
    – Schwale
    Aug 14, 2018 at 20:22
  • It's just that, "paso, por favor". It's the shortening of "Déjenme paso, por favor", or "pido paso, por favor´", or something similar.
    – FGSUZ
    Aug 14, 2018 at 20:52

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.