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How to Say ‘Sorry, can I bother you for a second?’ in Italian

Scusami, ti disturbo un secondo?

SKOO-zah-mee tee dee-STOOR-boh oon seh-KOHN-doh

[SKOO-zah-mee tee dee-STOOR-boh oon seh-KOHN-doh]

🇮🇹 In Italy: This is a light, polite opener that makes it easy for the other person to say no. That gives it a respectful tone rather than a pushy one.

Phrase Breakdown

Scusami,

SKOO-zah-mee

Excuse me,

This is the informal 'excuse me' ('scusa' + 'mi'). The stress is on the first syllable: 'SCU-sa-mi'.

Example

Scusami, non ti avevo visto.

Excuse me, I hadn't seen you.

Words in this phrase

Scusami

[SKOO-zah-mee]

Excuse me

Used to politely get someone's attention or apologize.

Example

Scusami per il disturbo.

Excuse me for the disturbance.

ti disturbo

tee dee-STOOR-boh

am I bothering you

This is a polite way to interrupt someone. The stress is on 'dis-TUR-bo'.

Example

Ti disturbo adesso?

Am I bothering you now?

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?

It means 'just a moment'. Use rising intonation, since it is a question.

Example

Hai un secondo?

Do you have 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.

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