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

Scusa, posso disturbarti un attimo?

SKOO-zah POHS-soh dee-stoor-BAR-tee oon AH-tee-mo

[SKOO-zah POHS-soh dee-stoor-BAR-tee oon AH-tee-mo]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Among people of similar age in a bar, Italians usually start with the casual tu forms. This opener is polite but relaxed, a low-pressure way to start a chat.

Phrase Breakdown

Scusa,

SKOO-zah

Excuse me,

This is the informal way to get someone's attention. Say it as SKOO-za.

Example

Scusa, che ore sono?

Excuse me, what time is it?

Words in this phrase

Scusa

[SKOO-zah]

excuse me

Informal way to get someone's attention politely.

Example

Scusa, sai che ore sono?

Excuse me, do you know what time it is?

posso disturbarti

POHS-soh dee-stoor-BAR-tee

can I bother you

This is a polite request. Hold the double 's' in 'posso': POS-so dees-toor-BAR-tee.

Example

Posso disturbarti dopo?

Can I bother you later?

Words in this phrase

posso

[POHS-soh]

can I / may I

A polite way to ask permission to say or ask something.

Example

Posso chiedere se avete un menu speciale?

May I ask if you have a special menu?

disturbarti

[dee-stoor-BAR-tee]

to disturb you

Verb 'disturbare' (to bother) plus 'ti' (you), informal.

Example

Non voglio disturbarti.

I don't want to bother you.

un attimo?

oon AH-tee-mo

for a moment?

This makes the request sound short and light. Raise your voice at the end: oon AT-ti-mo?

Example

Hai un attimo?

Do you have a moment?

Words in this phrase

[oon]

a / an

An indefinite article meaning 'a' before a masculine singular noun.

Example

È stato un incontro molto utile.

It was a very useful meeting.

attimo

[AH-tee-mo]

moment

A very short period of time.

Example

Aspetta un attimo.

Wait a moment.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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