How to Say “Pardon” in German

Ways to say it

These interjections are used to request that someone repeat what they have just said. While you may use the French loanword pardon? to sound more formal or sophisticated, most standard requests for repetition use wie bitte?

Which one should you use?

The forms vary significantly in tone and intent. wie bitte? is the standard, polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves. In contrast, was? (meaning 'what?') is a very blunt and informal way to ask for repetition and is often perceived as rude. Similarly, wie? (meaning 'how?') is a short, informal way to ask for repetition. If you want someone to clarify or elaborate on their meaning rather than just repeating the words, you can use wie meinen Sie?

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The choice of word depends heavily on the setting. pardon? is a formal option due to its loanword status. wie bitte? is the standard polite choice. For very informal or blunt situations, you might hear was? or wie?, though these can be rude. If you are asking for clarification of an idea, the polite form is wie meinen Sie?

Related words

Forgiveness for an offence (noun): Vergebung, Verzeihung.

Releasing order (noun): Begnadigung.

How does it change in a sentence?

To ask for clarification of a person's meaning politely, you can use the phrase wie meinen Sie? (or wie meinst du? in informal contexts).

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use Entschuldigung to mean 'pardon?' when they want someone to repeat something. However, Entschuldigung is actually used to get someone's attention or to apologize for a mistake.