Polite Phrases in Spanish
Spanish has three ways to say excuse me, and they are not interchangeable. Each entry below says which situation it belongs to.
Please and thank you
-
por favor
por fah-VOR
-
please
-
gracias
GRAH-syahs
-
thank you
-
muchas gracias
MOO-chahs GRAH-syahs
-
thank you very much
-
de nada
deh NAH-dah
-
you're welcome
Literally of nothing
-
no hay problema
noh eye proh-BLEH-mah
-
no problem
The three ways to say excuse me
-
perdón
pehr-DOHN
-
sorry, excuse me
After you bump someone or interrupt
-
disculpe
dees-KOOL-peh
-
excuse me
Before asking a stranger something
-
con permiso
kohn pehr-MEE-soh
-
excuse me
Asking to pass, or leaving a table
-
lo siento
loh SYEN-toh
-
I am sorry
For something that actually matters
Phrases for the moment
-
salud
sah-LOOD
-
bless you, cheers
One word for a sneeze and a toast. It means health
-
buen provecho
bwen proh-BEH-choh
-
enjoy your meal
-
felicidades
feh-lee-see-DAH-dehs
-
congratulations
-
buena suerte
BWEH-nah SWEHR-teh
-
good luck
-
buen viaje
bwen BYAH-heh
-
have a good trip
-
que te mejores
keh teh meh-HOH-rehs
-
get well soon
Choosing between perdón, disculpe and con permiso
Con permiso comes before the act: you are about to squeeze past someone or leave the table.
Perdón comes after it: you already stepped on a foot, or you are interrupting.
Disculpe opens a request to a stranger, the way excuse me does before asking directions.
Lo siento is heavier than all three. Save it for bad news and real apologies, not for brushing past someone.
Keep learning Spanish in Vocabloot
Snap anything and learn the Spanish word for it, with pronunciation and an example sentence.
Coming soon to
the App Store
Coming soon to
Google Play
Free during early access. We only use your email to send your invite.