“Disculpe” (dees-COOL-pay)
Use “disculpe” to respectfully get someone’s attention. While “disculpe” is a way of saying “I’m sorry,” it’s also used as the Spanish equivalent of “excuse me.” Just like we might say “excuse me” in English to get the attention of a clerk at a store or a waiter at a restaurant, you can use “disculpe” in the same way when speaking Spanish. “¡Disculpe! Quiero ordenar un café.” (dees-COOL-pay KYE-ro ord-en-AR oon kaf-AY): “Excuse me! I want to order a coffee.” “Disculpe, ¿cómo llego a mi hotel?” (dees-COOL-pay KO-mo YEG-oh ah me OH-tel): “Excuse me, how do I get to my hotel?”
Try “disculpa” when speaking to someone your age or younger. “Disculpa” (dees-COOL-pa) is the informal version of “disculpe,” and you’re likely to hear it around quite frequently. You can also use “disculpa” with older people when you are on familiar terms with them. “Disculpa, ¿dónde está el baño?” (dees-COOL-pa DOAN-day ess-TA el BAHN-yo): “Excuse me, where is the bathroom?” “Disculpa, ¿qué hora es?” (dees-COOL-pa kay OR-ah ess): “Excuse me, what time is it?”
Opt for “discúlpeme” when interrupting someone. “Discúlpeme” (dees-COOL-pay-may) variation of “disculpe” comes across as somewhat more apologetic, and is therefore a good option for if you’re getting the attention of someone while they’re in the middle of something else. “Discúlpame, no quiero molestarte, pero necesito tu ayuda.” (dees-COOL-pa-may no KYE-ro mo-less-TAR-tay PE-ro ne-sess-EE-to too ay-OO-da): “Forgive me, I don’t want to bother you, but I need your help.” “Discúlpeme, sé que está ocupado.” (dees-COOL-pay-may say kay ess-TA o-coo-PA-do): “Forgive me, I know you’re busy.” If you’re speaking with someone your age or younger, or with whom you’re on familiar terms, you can instead say “discúlpame” (dees-COOL-pa-may).
“Perdón” (per-DOAN)
Say “perdón” to get someone’s attention. You can use “perdón” identically to “disculpe” when trying to get someone’s attention at a restaurant or a shop. Using this word is an important part of sounding polite when speaking Spanish. “Perdón, ¿a qué hora cierran?” (per-DOAN ah KAY OR-a see-ERR-ahn): “Excuse me, what time do you close?” “Perdón, ¿puedo preguntarte algo?” (per-DOAN poo-EH-do pre-GOON-tar-tay AL-go): “Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
Use “perdón” when passing by someone. If you’re in, say, a crowded metro stop, you can use “perdón” to be polite when you ask someone to move for you. “Perdon” has a slightly apologetic connotation, meaning it’s useful when you want to make a minor apology for an inconvenience. “Perdón, aquí me bajo.” (per-DOAN a-KEY may BA-ho): “Excuse me, I’m getting down here.” “Perdón, tengo que salir.” (per-DOAN TEN-go kay SAL-eer): “Excuse me, I need to leave.”
Apologize for minor mistakes with “perdón.” Just as you might say “excuse me” or “pardon me” to apologize for accidentally bumping into someone, you can use “perdón” in the same way. “Perdón, no te había visto.” (per-DOAN no tay ab-EE-ah VEES-to): “Pardon me, I hadn’t seen you.” “Perdón, no quise decir eso.” (per-DOAN no KEY-say DESS-eer ESS-oh): “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to say that.”
Try “perdona” when speaking to someone informally. When talking to someone who seems to be your age or younger, or someone with whom you’re on familiar terms, use “perdona” (per-DOAN-ah) instead of the somewhat more formal “perdón.” When you want to be especially formal, like if you’re talking to an authority figure, you can also say “perdone” (per-DOAN-eh). “¡Perdona! La cuenta, por favor.” (per-DOAN-ah la KWEN-ta por FA-vor): “Excuse me! The check, please.” “¡Perdona! Tengo una pregunta.” (per-DOAN-ah TEN-go OON-a pre-GOON-ta): “Excuse me! I have a question.”
Use “perdóneme” when you’re interrupting someone. If you’re interrupting someone while they’re doing or saying something else, you can lightly apologize for this by saying “perdóneme” (per-DOAN-eh-may). This expression is a bit formal, so if you’d like to use the informal variant, say “perdóname” (per-DOAN-ah-may). “Perdóneme, ¿Podemos hablar?” (per-DOAN-eh-may po-DAY-mos AB-lar): “Excuse me, can we talk?” “Perdóname, pero no estoy de acuerdo.” (per-DOAN-ah-may PE-ro no ESS-toy day ac-WARE-do): “Pardon me, but I don’t agree.”
“Con Permiso” (con per-MEE-so)
Use “con permiso” in situations where you might say “May I?” For example, if you want to pass by someone else in a crowd, you can say “con permiso” in order to politely ask for space. You could also use this expression when reaching across the dinner table for food. This expression literally means, “with (your) permission.” “Con permiso” is especially popular in Latin America, but you can also use it in Spain without any trouble. “Con permiso, tengo que entrar.” (con per-MEE-so TEN-go KAY EN-trar): “Excuse me, I have to come in.” “Con permiso, quiero más arroz.” (con per-MEE-so KYE-ro mahs ar-ROSE): “Excuse me, I want more rice.”
Try “con permiso” when asking to end an interaction. Just like you might use the English expression “if you’ll excuse me” to exit a meeting with your boss, you can use this Spanish phrase in similar situations. “Con permiso, necesito llamar a mi esposa.” (con per-MEE-so ness-ess-EE-to YAM-ar ah me ess-POS-ah): “If you’ll excuse me, I need to call my wife.” “Con permiso, voy a trabajar.” (con per-MEE-so voy a tra-BA-har): “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to work.”
Use “permiso” as a short version of “con permiso.” In less formal situations, you can use the abbreviated form of “con permiso” to sound more casual. “Permiso” (per-MEE-so) is acceptable anywhere. “Permiso, tengo que irme.” (per-MEE-so TEN-go KAY EER-may): “If you’ll excuse me, I need to leave.” “Permiso, ¿puedo pasar?” (per-MEE-so poo-EH-do PAH-sar): “Excuse me, can I get through?”
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