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How to Say ‘Sorry to bother you.’ in French

Excusez-moi de vous déranger.

eks-kew-zey mwah duh voo day-rahn-ZHAY

[eks-kew-zey mwah duh voo day-rahn-ZHAY]

💬 Usage Tip: The pattern Excusez-moi de plus an action is reusable: Excusez-moi d'être en retard "Sorry for being late".

🇫🇷 In France: This is the polite way to approach a teacher at their desk or after class. Opening without it can come across as abrupt.

Phrase Breakdown

Excusez-moi

eks-kew-zey mwah

Excuse me

A polite way to get someone's attention. Say it as one word: 'ex-ku-zé-mwa'. The final 'z' of 'excusez' is silent.

Example

Excusez-moi, où est la gare ?

Excuse me, where is the station?

Words in this phrase

Excusez

[eks-kew-zey]

Excuse

A polite request for forgiveness or attention.

Example

Excusez-moi, je dois passer.

Excuse me, I need to pass through.

-moi

[mwah]

Used to refer to oneself, asking for attention or pardon.

Example

Excusez-moi de vous déranger.

Excuse me for disturbing you.

de vous déranger.

duh voo day-rahn-ZHAY

for disturbing you

'Déranger' means to disturb. 'Vous' is the polite 'you'. The ending '-er' sounds like 'é'.

Example

Je ne veux pas vous déranger.

I don't want to disturb you.

Words in this phrase

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

déranger

[day-rahn-ZHAY]

to disturb / to bother

Infinitive verb meaning to interrupt or inconvenience someone.

Example

Je ne veux pas déranger.

I don't want to disturb.

Guides for French learners

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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