Sofia · Learn Spanish How to say it in Spanish How to Say Excuse Me in Spanish (+ Variations You'll Hear)
The most common way to say “excuse me” in Spanish is disculpe (formal) or disculpa (casual) — but Spanish actually splits “excuse me” into three different phrases depending on what you’re doing. If you’re getting someone’s attention, say disculpe. If you bumped into someone, say perdón. If you need to squeeze past someone, say con permiso. Pick the right one and you’ll instantly sound like you know what you’re doing.
The main way to say it
Disculpe — pronounced dees-KOOL-peh.
This is your go-to when you want to get someone’s attention politely: a waiter, a stranger on the street, a shop employee. It literally comes from the verb disculpar (to excuse/forgive), and in the usted (formal) form it’s the safest choice with people you don’t know.
- Disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar? — Excuse me, can you help me?
- Disculpe, ¿cuánto cuesta esto? — Excuse me, how much is this?
With friends, people your age, or anyone you’d address informally, switch to disculpa (dees-KOOL-pah).
Variations
Here’s the full toolkit, from formal to street-level Mexican:
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disculpe | dees-KOOL-peh | Formal | Getting a stranger’s or older person’s attention |
| Disculpa | dees-KOOL-pah | Casual | Same, but with friends or peers |
| Perdón | pehr-DOHN | Neutral | You bumped into someone or made a small mistake |
| Con permiso | kohn pehr-MEE-soh | Polite | Passing through a crowd, leaving a table, reaching past someone |
| Permiso | pehr-MEE-soh | Casual | Short version of the above — very common in Mexico |
| ¿Mande? | MAHN-deh | Very Mexican | ”Excuse me?” when you didn’t hear what someone said |
A note on that last one: ¿Mande? is one of the most Mexican words there is. Where a Spaniard might say ¿Qué? or ¿Cómo?, Mexicans overwhelmingly say ¿Mande? when they didn’t catch something. Using it in Mexico immediately signals you’ve learned real, living Spanish — not textbook Spanish.
And con permiso deserves special attention: in Mexico it’s practically a social ritual. You say it when walking between two people talking, when getting off a crowded metro car, when leaving the dinner table. The standard reply is propio or simply pase (“go ahead”).
Hear it in context
Dialog 1 — Getting a waiter’s attention
— Disculpe, ¿me trae la cuenta, por favor? — Claro que sí, ahorita se la traigo.
— Excuse me, could you bring me the check, please? — Of course, I’ll bring it right away.
(Bonus Mexican flavor: ahorita means “right away”… in theory. In practice it can mean anywhere from ten seconds to never.)
Dialog 2 — Squeezing through a crowded market
— Con permiso… con permiso… gracias. — Pásele, joven.
— Excuse me… coming through… thanks. — Go ahead, young man.
Pásele is another very Mexican touch — vendors and hosts use it constantly to mean “come on in” or “go ahead.”
Common mistakes
-
Using “perdón” for everything. It works, but it’s imprecise. Perdón implies a small apology. If you’re just trying to get a waiter’s attention, disculpe is the natural choice — perdón can make it sound like you did something wrong.
-
Saying “excúseme.” It exists in dictionaries, but nobody says it in Mexico. It sounds like a word-for-word translation from English. Stick with disculpe.
-
Forgetting “con permiso” entirely. English speakers use “excuse me” for passing through, so they say disculpe while pushing past people. Mexicans will understand you, but the natural phrase in that situation is always con permiso.
-
Mixing up disculpe and disculpa. Disculpe = formal (usted), disculpa = informal (tú). Using the informal with an elderly stranger isn’t offensive, but the formal version shows the respect Mexican culture expects.
-
Answering “¿Mande?” with confusion. If someone says ¿Mande? to you, they’re not giving you an order — they’re asking you to repeat yourself. Just say it again, slower.
Related phrases
Once you’ve got disculpe down, these fit naturally into the same conversations:
- How to say “I’m sorry” in Spanish — for when you need a real apology, not just attention
- How to say “Can you help me?” in Spanish — the phrase that usually follows disculpe
- How to say “I don’t understand” in Spanish — pairs perfectly with ¿Mande?
For the bigger picture, our guides to Spanish for travel and common Spanish phrases cover the essential vocabulary these phrases live inside.
FAQ
Is “disculpe” or “perdón” more polite? They’re equally polite — they just do different jobs. Disculpe opens a conversation; perdón apologizes for something small. For maximum courtesy with a stranger, disculpe is the standard opener.
What do Mexicans say when someone sneezes? ¡Salud! (“health”). It’s automatic — even between strangers.
Can I use “oye” to get attention? Oye (“hey, listen”) works with friends, but it’s too direct for strangers. With someone you don’t know, disculpe first, always.
How do I respond when someone says “con permiso” to me? Say propio, pase, or adelante — all mean “go ahead.” Or just step aside with a smile; that works in every language.
The fastest way to make disculpe automatic is to actually say it out loud in a real conversation. If you want a patient practice partner, Sofia — an AI Spanish tutor with a Mexican accent — will happily role-play the crowded market with you until con permiso rolls off your tongue.