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How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Italian

Mi scusi.

mee SKOO-zee

[mee SKOO-zee]

🇮🇹 In Italy: [Mi scusi] is the polite default with a taxi driver you don't know. It works both to get attention and to signal a complaint without sounding aggressive.

Phrase Breakdown

Mi

[mee]

me / to me

An indirect object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'; here it is part of the polite expression 'Mi scusi.'

Example

Mi dispiace interrompere, ma Mi serve un chiarimento.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need a clarification.

scusi

[SKOO-zee]

excuse / forgive

From 'scusare'; in this form it politely means 'excuse me' or 'forgive me' when speaking formally.

Example

Mi scusi, scusi se chiedo perché facciamo questa strada.

Excuse me, excuse me for asking why we are taking this road.

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