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How to Say ‘Can I bother you for a second?’ in Italian

Ti disturbo un secondo?

tee dee-STOOR-boh oon seh-KOHN-doh

[tee dee-STOOR-boh oon seh-KOHN-doh]

💬 Usage Tip: ti "you" goes before the verb, not after it as in English. Same pattern: ti chiamo "I'll call you".

Phrase Breakdown

Ti disturbo

tee dee-STOOR-boh

Am I bothering you / May I bother you

'Ti' (you) goes before the verb 'disturbo' (I bother). The stress falls on 'dis-TUR-bo'.

Example

Ti disturbo se accendo la luce?

Will I bother you if I turn on the light?

Words in this phrase

[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 of 'disturbare', to bother someone.

Example

Non ti disturbo più.

I won't bother you anymore.

un secondo?

oon seh-KOHN-doh

for a second?

This means 'a second' in time. Say 'se-CON-do' and let your voice rise for the question.

Example

Aspetta un secondo!

Wait a second!

Words in this phrase

[oon]

Indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

In Un buon equilibrio, Un introduce l'idea di un balance positivo.

In 'Un buon equilibrio,' 'Un' introduces the idea of a positive balance.

secondo

[seh-KOHN-doh]

second

Masculine noun for the unit of time; also means 'second' in order.

Example

Il treno parte tra trenta secondi.

The train leaves in thirty seconds.

Guides for Italian learners

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