The use of vaious Spanish expressions for “excuse me” is one of the most frequent pitfalls of native English speakers. Each expression in Spanish has a certain situation in which it must be used. Disregard for such conditions make your intended courtesies appear ridiculous.

Study the following ways to say “excuse me” so that you don’t get confused in the future.

Dispénseme or perdóneme should be used to excuse yourself when you have already committed some discourteous act. Perdóneme is somewhat more polite. If, for example, you should accidently step on someone’s foot, you would say, “¡Oh, perdóneme Ud., por favor!” (“Oh, please excuse me!). Sometimes, the phrases ¡Disculpe! or !Perdón! are also used, under the same circumstances.

Con permiso should be used when begging pardon for something which you are about to do. If, for instance, you must leave your guests for a moment , you should say, “con permiso.” This form of common courtesy is resorted to whenever you take any liberty which requires approval of the people who you are with. It is most often used when one has to get up from the dinner table. Don’t make the mistake of using this expression after you have committed some discourteous act like stepping on someone’s foot.

Tiquismo of the week:
Orinar fuera del tarro means someone doesn’t know what they are talking about.