pardon?
In French, the English phrase pardon can be expressed using pardon? If unsure, use pardon? Wiktionary also lists excusez-moi and excuse-moi.
Meaning: interjection, request to repeat (intj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| pardon? | |
| excusez-moi | /ɛk.sky.ze.mwa/ |
| excuse-moi | /ɛk.skyz.mwa/ |
| comment? | |
| quoi | /kwa/ |
These expressions are used as interjections to apologize or to request that someone repeat what they have said. While pardon is a standard way to express an apology or ask for repetition in formal contexts, other forms like excusez-moi and excuse-moi are used specifically to apologize or to get someone's attention.
Which one should you use?
When asking someone to repeat themselves, comment? is a polite option, whereas quoi? is considered blunt, rude or very informal in most social contexts. To get attention or apologize, you should choose between excusez-moi and excuse-moi based on your relationship with the person.
Related words
Did you know?
- The French word pardon can be used as a noun to describe a religious pilgrimage or a local festival, particularly in Brittany.
- While quoi? is often taught as 'what?', using it to ask for repetition in France can sound as aggressive as saying 'what the hell?' in English.
- In some French dialects, quoi is used as a filler word at the end of sentences, similar to 'you know' or 'like', despite being rude when used to ask for repetition.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi de vous interrompre.Pardon me for interrupting.This sentence shows how to use excusez-moi when interrupting.Tatoeba #128286 by dominiko, translation #2738999 by sharptoothed
- Excuse-moi, tu peux répéter ça ?Pardon me, can you repeat that?This sentence demonstrates using excuse-moi to ask someone to repeat something.Tatoeba #4474107 by Petrus, translation #4451733 by XenoKat
- Excusez-moi.Pardon.This is a simple way to use excusez-moi to say pardon.Tatoeba #499087 by Aiji, translation #10119283 by valestanov
- Pardon, je ne comprends pas. Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît?Excuse me, I don't understand. Can you repeat, please?
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous m'indiquer le chemin vers la gare?Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the train station?
- Désolé pour le retard! On y va?Sorry for being late! Shall we go?
- Excuse-moi, je n'ai pas vu ton message tout de suite.Sorry, I didn't see your message right away.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking in a noisy cafe.
- LucasOn se voit demain à midi ?Shall we meet tomorrow at noon?
- EmmaPardon?Sorry?
- LucasJe demande si on se voit demain.I'm asking if we are meeting tomorrow.
- EmmaOui, c'est parfait pour moi.Yes, that's perfect for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pardon” translations and entries excusez-moi, excuse-moi, quoi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
