Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| excusez-moi | /ɛk.sky.ze.mwa/ |
| mes excuses | |
| je m'excuse |
excusez-moi is a polite way to get someone's attention or to apologize for a minor physical intrusion, such as bumping into someone. mes excuses is a more formal way to offer an apology for a mistake compared to the verb-based excusez-moi.
Which one should you use?
mes excuses functions as a more formal way to offer apologies for mistakes. je m'excuse is a common spoken form but carries a different nuance regarding politeness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular imperative form excuse-moi is used when speaking to one person you know well or a child.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛk.sky.ze.mwa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
While common in spoken French, using je m'excuse can be perceived as grammatically impolite by some because it implies you are pardoning yourself rather than asking for pardon.
Did you know?
- If you say pardon ? with a rising intonation, it functions as excuse me? or what?, signaling that you did not hear or understand what the speaker just said.
- The word excuse in French can be used as a noun to mean a 'pretext' or 'lame excuse', such as in the phrase c'est une mauvaise excuse.
- The word je used in je m'excuse evolved from the Late Latin eo and the Classical Latin egō̆.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi. Puis-je passer ?Excuse me. May I get by?This sentence shows how to use excusez-moi to ask to pass through.Tatoeba #11946 by dominiko, translation #51483 by CK
- Excusez-moi juste un instant.Excuse me just a moment.This sentence shows how to use excusez-moi to ask for a brief moment of someone's time.Tatoeba #7067718 by Aiji, translation #3822370 by CK
- Excusez-moi de vous déranger.Excuse me for bothering you.This sentence shows how to use excusez-moi when apologizing for a bother.Tatoeba #7581945 by felix63, translation #8826448 by carlosalberto
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous m'indiquer où se trouve la gare?Excuse me, could you tell me where the train station is?
- Pardon, pourriez-vous me rendre un service?Pardon me, could you do me a favor?
- Excuse-moi d'arriver en retard!Sorry for arriving late!
- Pardon, je ne voulais pas t'interrompre.Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.
- 108 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé accidentally bumps into Lucas in a crowded hallway.
- ChloéOh, excusez-moi !Oh, excuse me!
- LucasCe n'est pas grave.It's no problem.
- ChloéJe ne vous avais pas vu.I didn't see you.
- LucasNe vous inquiétez pas, Chloé.Don't worry, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “excuse me” translations and entries excusez-moi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, mes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
