How to Say ‘Sorry, can I tell you something?’ in Spain Spanish
Perdona, ¿te puedo decir una cosa?
pehr-DOH-nah teh PWEH-doh deh-THEER OO-nah KOH-sah
[pehr-DOH-nah teh PWEH-doh deh-THEER OO-nah KOH-sah]
🇪🇸 In Spain: In a Spanish bar it's normal to address a stranger your own age with tú right away. Opening with Perdona keeps it polite without sounding stiff.
Phrase Breakdown
Perdona,
pehr-DOH-nah
Excuse me,
An informal way to get someone's attention (tú form). Stress the middle syllable: per-DOH-nah.
Perdona, ¿dónde está el baño?
Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
Words in this phrase
Perdona
[pehr-DOH-nah]
excuse me / sorry
Polite way to get a stranger's attention before saying something.
Perdona, pero tenía que decírtelo: ese abrigo te queda genial.
Excuse me, but I had to tell you: that coat looks great on you.
¿te puedo decir
teh PWEH-doh deh-THEER
can I tell you
'Te' (to you) + 'puedo' (I can) + 'decir' (to tell). Say the words together in one smooth flow.
¿Te puedo decir la verdad?
Can I tell you the truth?
Words in this phrase
te
[teh]
to you
Indirect object pronoun used with quedar bien/mal to say how something suits someone.
Ese color te queda muy bien, en serio.
That color suits you very well, seriously.
puedo
[PWEH-doh]
Can I
A phrase used to ask for permission to do something.
¿Puedo recoger los paquetes ahora?
Can I pick up the packages now?
decir
[deh-THEER]
to say / to tell
Infinitive verb meaning to say or tell something.
Quiero decir la verdad.
I want to tell the truth.
una cosa?
OO-nah KOH-sah
something?
Literally 'a thing'. Use a rising tone because it ends the question.
Quiero preguntarte una cosa.
I want to ask you something.
Words in this phrase
una
[OO-nah]
a (feminine singular)
Indefinite article agreeing with a feminine noun; used to define or describe someone.
Algunos presentan a Jesús como Una figura histórica para empezar el diálogo.
Some present Jesus as a historical figure to start the dialogue.
cosa
[KOH-sah]
thing
A general noun for an object or matter.
Es una cosa importante.
It's an important thing.
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