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How to Say ‘Oh, sorry, actually for here.’ in French

Ah, pardon, finalement sur place.

ah par-dohn fee-nahl-MAHN syoor plahs

[ah par-dohn fee-nahl-MAHN syoor plahs]

🇫🇷 In France: Changing your mind at the counter is completely normal. A quick Ah, pardon smooths it over without any fuss.

Phrase Breakdown

Ah, pardon,

ah par-dohn

Oh, sorry,

'Pardon' ends in a nasal sound: 'par-don'.

Example

Ah, pardon, je me suis trompé.

Oh, sorry, I made a mistake.

Words in this phrase

Ah

[ah]

ah / oh

An exclamation showing realization, understanding, or reaction.

Example

Ah, je comprends mieux le problème ; Ah montre une réaction.

Ah, I understand the problem better; Ah shows a reaction.

pardon

[par-dohn]

sorry / pardon

Used to apologize lightly, ask someone to repeat, or get past someone.

Example

Si je bouscule quelqu'un, je dis « Pardon ».

If I bump into someone, I say “Sorry.”

finalement sur place.

fee-nahl-MAHN syoor plahs

for here after all.

'Finalement' means 'after all'. Say 'fi-nal-man', with a nasal ending.

Example

Finalement, je reste.

In the end, I'm staying.

Words in this phrase

finalement

[fee-nahl-MAHN]

in the end / after all

Adverb meaning eventually or after all.

Example

Finalement, on est arrivés à l'heure.

In the end, we arrived on time.

sur

[syoor]

on (in 'sur place': on site)

Preposition; with 'place' it means eating or drinking on the premises.

Example

Vous restez sur place ?

Are you staying here?

place

[plahs]

spot / place

A spot or place in the yoga class.

Example

Il me faut une place au fond de la salle.

I need a spot at the back of the room.

Related guides

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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