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

Scusa se ti disturbo.

SKOO-zah seh tee dee-STOOR-boh

[SKOO-zah seh tee dee-STOOR-boh]

💬 Usage Tip: ti "you" comes before the verb disturbo "I bother". With a stranger you'd address formally, swap it for La: Scusi se La disturbo.

Phrase Breakdown

Scusa

[SKOO-zah]

sorry

Feeling regret or penitence.

Example

Devo dire scusa per il ritardo.

I must say sorry for the delay.

se ti disturbo.

seh tee dee-STOOR-boh

if I'm bothering you.

'Disturbare' means 'to bother'. Stress di-STUR-bo.

Example

Dimmi se ti disturbo.

Tell me if I'm bothering you.

Words in this phrase

[seh]

A conjunction meaning 'if,' used to introduce a condition politely.

Example

Se vuoi, possiamo sentirci la prossima settimana.

If you want, we can talk next week.

[tee]

you

An unstressed object pronoun meaning you, used informally with friends, peers, or colleagues in casual contexts.

Example

Ti scrivo domani per ringraziarti del tempo che mi hai dedicato.

I’ll write to you tomorrow to thank you for the time you gave me.

disturbo

[dee-STOOR-boh]

I disturb / I bother

First person singular present of 'disturbare', to bother someone.

Example

Non ti disturbo più.

I won't bother you anymore.

Guides for Italian learners

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