How to say “Sorry” in Italian
“Sorry” is one of those basic Italian words every learner must know. There are two main ways to say “I am sorry” in Italian: scusa or mi dispiace, although there exist many other alternatives.
Choosing between them depends on the situation, the level of formality, and the depth of regret you want to convey. As a linguist, I always pay a lot of attention to the words I choose when I speak, and I really differentiate between scusa and mi dispiace.
For me, the first is an admission of a mistake. It sounds to me as saying “I am responsible for something, I am taking my own responsibilities”. Therefore, it resembles the expression “I apologize”.
The second, instead, sounds more as being aware that someone might have a consequence on something, and that you are genuinely sorry for that person. It is like saying “I have nothing to do with that, yet I am sorry for you”.
Of course, this is my personal perception of these words. Below, I will show you different ways you can give your apologies in Italian, with corresponding translation and contextual use. This way, you can choose what to use in a proper way!
Sorry in Italian: Informal
Scusa
Scusa is the easiest and most informal way to say “sorry” or “excuse me” in Italian. Grammatically, it’s the second person singular of the imperative form of the verb scusare (to excuse).
This form reflects a direct command to “excuse” the speaker. Linguistically speaking, it can be translated very similarly to “excuse me”. If you want to make it even more similar and specify that someone has to excuse you precisely, you can use the direct pronoun mi: scusami.
Instead, if you want to apologize to multiple people in an informal setting you can use the plural form scusate is used as the plural form. This structure allows a lot of versatility, because you can also ask someone to excuse someone else:
Scusali, non sanno cosa dicono,
Excuse them, they do not know what they do.
Scusateci, non lo sapevamo.
(May you all) excuse us, we did not know.
Scusa – and all its variations – is typically used in casual settings, such as among friends, family, or peers:
Scusa, non volevo disturbarti.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.
Perdonami
Perdonami literally means “forgive me”. It is an informal, more emotional way to apologize. Just like scusa, perdonami is the imperative form of the verb perdonare (to forgive) combined with the direct pronoun mi, indicating the action should be directed toward the speaker.
Unlike scusa, perdona must necessarily be combined with a direct pronoun, whichever you want it to be. However, similarly to scusa, the request to be forgiven can be expanded to multiple people:
Perdonalo per quello che ha fatto.
Forgive him for what he did.
Perdonatemi, non sapevo dove andare.
(May you all) forgive me, I did not know where to go.
This expression carries more emotional weight and is used for personal apologies where deeper forgiveness is being requested.
Mi Dispiace
As I mentioned before, mi dispiace conveys a heartfelt apology, used to convey a genuine, sometimes emotional feeling of displease towards an event.
In fact, it structurally translates to “it displeases me”, where, again, the direct pronoun specifies who experiences the feeling, allowing for flexibility:
Ci dispiace per tuo nonno, era una brava persona.
We are sorry for your grandfather, he was a good person.
The verb dispiace is the third-person singular of dispiacere (to displease). It is a third person singular conjugation because the event you feel sorry for is the subject of the sentence.
Sorry in Italian: Formal
Scusi
Scusi is the formal version of scusa and serves as a polite way to apologize or get someone’s attention. It is also an imperative, but it’s a formal imperative, conjugated in the third person singular (formal Lei).
This level of formality shows respect, commonly used with strangers, in professional settings, or with elders:
Scusi, dov’è la stazione?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Just like you can combine scusa with a direct pronoun to specify who should be excused, you can combine scusi with the same purpose. However, keep in mind the rules of pronouns placement with verbs:
Mi scusi, non l’avevo vista.
Excuse me, I did not see you.
Pronouns placement with imperatives change depending on whether the imperative is formal or informal, resulting in pronouns being placed before the verb with formal imperatives.
Ci scusi professore, smettiamo di parlare,
Excuse us professor, we’ll stop talking.
Mi Perdoni
Mi perdoni is the formal counterpart of perdonami, equivalent to forgive me. The same rules applied to mi scusi hold here:
Mi perdoni per il ritardo.
Forgive me for the delay.
Lo perdoni, non sapeva cosa dire.
Forgive him, he did not know what to say.
Chiedo Scusa
This is my dad’s favorite apology, I do not know why! I hear him saying it so often when getting people’s attention, replacing the standard scusi.
It translates to “I apologize” and is another formal way to convey regret. Here, chiedo (I ask) is the first-person singular form of chiedere (to ask), while scusa is the noun form of “excuse”.
Chiedo scusa per l’interruzione.
I apologize for the interruption.
Spiacente
Spiacente is a more formal, indirect way of expressing regret. Grammatically, it is the present participle of spiacere (to displease).
Unlike the expressions above, it doesn’t take neither a subject nor a pronoun. It makes the apology less personal and often used in business or customer service.
Spiacente, ma non posso aiutarla.
Sorry, but I can’t help you.
