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The French word "Excuse-moi" explained

You are in the right place to learn all the things you ever wanted to know about the basic word "Excuse-moi". To be more precise, this includes a complete definition of what it is and how to use it in everyday life with an audio example.In addition, we also added useful informations like synonyms, dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio and more!


English translation

  • Translation : Excuse me

  • Register : Neutral - Basic

Pronunciation example

Slow

Normal

  • IPA : / ɛkskyzmwa /

aesthetic french quote excuse moi

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What does excuse-moi mean?

Definition

It literally means:

"Excuse-moi" is a common way to express "Excuse me" in French. It's useful to express apologies in informal contexts or when talking to someone you already know.

How to use

Just like in English, "Excuse-moi" (excuse me) is typically used when apologizing for interrupting a friend or a family member, few examples:

  1. Excuse-moi, il est quelle heure ?→ Excuse me, what time is it?
  2. Excuse-moi de te déranger... → Sorry to bother you...
  3. etc.

But it can also be used to apologize in every other formal situation, to express "I am sorry":

Finally, when you need to express apologies in formal contexts, you can use instead: "Excusez-moi" (Excuse me) or “Toutes mes excuses” (All my excuses/apologies)

Synonyms

↓ Example in a story with French audio ↓

Finally, let's see an example in a parallel story with slow audio.

Une matinée au marché

A morning at the market

Tous les samedis matin, Olivia va au marché.
Every Saturday morning, Olivia goes to the market.
Elle aime se promener et regarder les fruits, les légumes, les fromages, les poissons, etc.
She enjoys walking around and looking at fruits, vegetables, cheeses, fish, etc.
Elle y va souvent seule...
She is often going there alone...
Mais de temps en temps, son copain Théo vient avec elle.
But from time to time, her boyfriend Théo comes with her.
En général, elle essaie de regarder tous les stands du marché.
Usually, she tries to look at all the stalls in the market.
Elle pense que c'est important de manger des produits frais et locaux.
She thinks it's important to eat fresh and local products.

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