langula
Spanish
disculpe
dees-KOOL-pehExcuse me
One word, 26 languages
Excuse me in 26 languages
English “excuse me” does two jobs at once: apologising for a small bump, and getting a stranger's attention. Several of the 26 languages below keep those jobs apart, or borrow an unexpected word for them. Dutch simply uses the English loanword “sorry”, while French “pardon” is labelled specifically as “sorry”, not a general attention-getter. Below you can hear each version and check the sounds and habits that catch English speakers out first.
One word, 26 languages
- عَفْوًاAHF-wahn/ˈʕafwan/Arabic
- Entschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong/ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋ/Austrian
- извинетеeez-vee-NEH-teh/izviˈnɛtɛ/Bulgarian
- 对不起dway-boo-chee/tweɪ̯˥˩ bu tɕʰi˨˩˦/Chinese
- oprostiteoh-PROS-tee-teh/oˈprostite/Croatian
- undskyldOON-skuld/ˈɔnˌsɡyl/Danish
- sorrySOR-ee/ˈsɔri/Dutch
- excuse me/ɪkˈskjuːz mi/English
- anteeksiAHN-tehk-see/ˈanteːksi/Finnish
- pardonpahr-DOHN/paʁ.dɔ̃/French
- Entschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong/ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋ/German
- με συγχωρείτεmeh seen-khoh-REE-teh/me siɲxoˈrite/Greek
- scusiSKOO-zee/ˈskuzi/Italian
- すみませんsoo-mee-mah-sen/sɨmimaseɴ/Japanese
- 실례해요shil-lyeh-heh-yoh/ɕil.ljɛ.hɛ.jo/Korean
- Schüllshewl/ʃʏl/Low German
- unnskyldOON-shuld/ˈʉnʃyl/Norwegian
- przepraszampsheh-PRAH-shahm/pʃɛˈpraʂam/Polish
- com licençakohn lee-SEN-sah/kõ liˈsẽsɐ/Portuguese
- scuzați-măskoo-ZAH-tsee muh/skuˈzat͡sʲ mə/Romanian
- извинитеeez-vee-NEE-tyeh/ɪzvʲɪˈnʲitʲɪ/Russian
- disculpedees-KOOL-peh/disˈkulpe/Spanish
- ursäktaoor-SHEK-tah/ɵˈʂɛkta/Swedish
- لو سمحتlaw sa-MAHT/law saˈmaħt/Syrian Arabic
- affedersinizah-FEH-dair-see-neez/affeˈdeɾsiniz/Turkish
- вибачтеVIH-bahch-teh/ˈwɪbatʃte/Ukrainian
Apology or attention – not always the same word
French “pardon” is tagged as “sorry” rather than a neutral “excuse me”, so leaning on it to flag down a waiter can land more like an apology than a request. German and Austrian share the exact same solution here, “Entschuldigung”, which comfortably covers both apologising and getting attention – one of the few entries in this set doing double duty smoothly.
Dutch stands out for a different reason: “sorry” is simply the English word, borrowed outright. Japanese “すみません” works the same broad way German does, equally at home apologising or calling a waiter over, which makes it one of the safer all-purpose choices on this list.
Clusters and endings to listen for
German and Austrian “Entschuldigung” stresses its middle syllable, ent-SHOOL-di-gung, and ends in ŋ, the same sound as English “sing” – reassuringly familiar even if the rest of the word feels dense. Polish “przepraszam” opens with a consonant cluster, pʃ, close to the start of English “push” said quickly, then stresses “pra”.
Mandarin “对不起” falls sharply on “duì”, stays light and toneless on the middle “bu”, then dips and rises on “qǐ” – three different shapes in one short phrase. Turkish “affedersiniz” stresses its third syllable, af-fe-DE-r-si-niz, easy to miss if you default to first-syllable stress.
Where English habits mislead
The main mistake is assuming every “sorry”-type word also works to get someone's attention, the way English “excuse me” does. French “pardon” is the clearest trap here – it reads as an apology first, so it can feel like an odd choice for flagging down a waiter.
The second is pronunciation: dropping the stress in German “Entschuldigung” onto the first syllable instead of the middle one, or flattening Turkish “affedersiniz” to an even rhythm instead of stressing the third syllable clearly.
Short everyday dialogues
Squeezing past someone on the metro in Paris
- YouPardon, je dois descendre ici.Excuse me, I need to get off here.
- PassengerAh, pardon, allez-y.Oh, sorry, go ahead.
Getting a waiter's attention in Vienna
- YouEntschuldigung, die Rechnung bitte.Excuse me, the bill please.
- WaiterSofort, einen Moment.Right away, one moment.
Bumping into someone in a shop in Warsaw
- YouPrzepraszam, to moja wina.Excuse me, that's my fault.
- StrangerNic się nie stało.No harm done.
Asking for directions in Istanbul
- YouAffedersiniz, tren garı nerede?Excuse me, where's the train station?
- LocalŞu köşeden sağa dönün.Turn right at that corner.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you say excuse me in German?
- “Entschuldigung” – it works for both apologising and getting someone's attention.
- Does French “pardon” work to call a waiter over?
- It's labelled as “sorry”, so it reads more as an apology than a neutral “excuse me”.
- How do you pronounce “przepraszam” in Polish?
- Start with the cluster pʃ, like a quick English “push”, then stress the second syllable: pʃe-PRA-sham.