How to Say Sorry in Italian in Every Context

Imagine this. You’re in a beautiful Italian borgo, looking at an even more beautiful artisan shop. You’re so taken with the merchandise on display that you turn your head as you walk, and then— BAM! You bump into someone. That someone is bound to expect an apology. Problem is, you don’t really know how to say sorry in Italian.

That’s what we’re going to do in this article. We’re going to take a look at many different ways to apologize in Italian, depending on whether you’re talking to a child or someone you don’t know very well.

After all, mistakes happen, and you definitely want to apologize when they do. Most importantly, you want to choose the right apology to avoid making things worse! Stick with us until the end, and you’ll have no trouble facing such scenarios.

Common ways to say sorry in Italian

Below are the most common and basic ways to apologize and ask for forgiveness in Italian. What’s good for you as a learner is that for all of these Italian does not distinguish between “excuse me” and “I’m sorry”, so all the words you’ll learn in this section can also be used to approach people when you need to ask a question or catch their attention!

Scusa

Scusa is the most common informal way to say sorry in Italian. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it can be used in a variety of situations.

Examples:

• Scusa, puoi passarmi quel libro?
  Excuse me, can you pass me that book?
• Scusa, stasera non mi va di uscire.
  Sorry, I don’t feel like going out tonight.
• Scusa, mamma. Non lo farò più.
  Sorry, mom. I won’t do it again.
• Scusa, non ho capito. Puoi ripetere?
  Sorry, I didn’t understand. Can you say that again?

Scusami

Scusami is another informal way to say sorry in Italian. It’s the same as scusa, but it adds the pronoun mi. Literally, it means “forgive me”, from scusare, which means “to forgive”. It’s interchangeable with scusa, so it’s used in the same contexts.

Examples:

• Scusami se non mi sono più fatto sentire.
  I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.
• Scusami, sai dirmi che ore sono?
  Excuse me, can you tell me what time it is?
• Scusami tanto, ma ora non ho tempo.
  I’m very sorry, but I don’t have time right now.

Scusi

Scusi is the formal version of scusa. Use it to apologize or to address people you don’t know or someone who expects a certain amount of respect from you, such as your boss, a shopkeeper, or a bartender serving you caffè.

Examples:

• Scusi, mi porterebbe un’altra forchetta?
  Excuse me, would you bring me another fork?
• Scusi, sa dirmi dov’è il cinema?
  Excuse me, can you tell me where the cinema is?
• Scusi, l’ho urtata per sbaglio.
  Sorry, I bumped into you by accident.

Mi scusi

Mi scusi is the formal version of scusami. It’s a direct but polite request: excuse me. Again, use this with people you don’t know well or to whom you need to show some respect. Don’t use it with friends, family or children.

Examples:

• Mi scusi, dove trovo un supermercato qui vicino?
  Excuse me, where can I find a supermarket near here?
• Mi scusi, ho sbagliato numero.
  Sorry, wrong number.
• Mi scusi per il ritardo.
  I am sorry for the delay.

Scusate / Scusatemi

If you’re talking to a group of people, use scusate and scusatemi. They are neutral, so you can use them in both casual and formal settings.

Examples:

• Scusate per il disordine, ragazzi, metterò a posto il prima possibile.
  Sorry for the mess, guys, I will clean up as soon as possible.
• Scusatemi, bambini. Oggi non posso portarvi al parco giochi.
  Sorry, kids. I can’t take you to the playground today.

Other ways to say sorry in Italian

Mi dispiace

Mi dispiace can be used in all kinds of situations, both formal and informal, to show empathy. It’s also often used to show regret on a slightly deeper level than scusa, so it’s another common way to say sorry in Italian.

Note that mi dispiace doesn’t come before a request. Don’t use it to translate “excuse me”.

It comes from the verb dispiacere, which means “to regret” or “to be sorry”. In Italian, it has two functions— to ask for forgiveness and to show empathy when someone is going through a difficult time. For example, you might say mi dispiace to a friend who has just broken up with their partner.

Examples:

• Ti sei lasciata con Andrea? Mi dispiace.
  You broke up with Andrea? I’m sorry.
• Mi dispiace per il ritardo, non ho sentito la sveglia.
  Sorry for the delay, I didn’t hear the alarm clock.

In more casual contexts, you can shorten it to mi spiace, which uses the verb spiacere. The s- prefix in Italian creates the negative of a given word, so if we add an s- to piacere, which means “to like”, we get spiacere, “to dislike”. But remember, you’ll never use this verb outside of this context.

Examples:

• Mi spiace di non essere arrivato in tempo.
  I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time.
• Non hai superato l’esame di guida? Mi spiace, vorrei fare qualcosa per aiutarti.
  You failed your driving test? I’m sorry, I would like to do something to help you.

You can use adverbs like molto to emphasize how much you regret doing or hearing something. For example:

• Mi dispiace molto per la perdita di tuo zio.
  I am very sorry about your uncle’s loss.
• Mi dispiace davvero molto di non essere potuto venire alla festa.
  I am really sorry that I could not come to the party.

Sono desolato/a

Like mi dispiace, sono desolato/a can only be used to apologize, not to get someone’s attention. It’s less common than mi dispiace, but still widely used.

It literally means “I’m sorrowful” and comes in two versions: sono desolato, which you use if you’re male, and sono desolata, which you use if you’re female. This is because, unlike English, Italian has two genders (masculine and feminine) and all adjectives must match the gender of the noun or subject (in this case, you are the subject).

Examples:

• Sono desolato per ciò che è successo ieri sera.
  I am sorry about what happened last night.
• Sono veramente desolata per non averti chiamato.
  I am really sorry for not calling you.

Sono mortificato/a

Sono mortificato and sono mortificata (male first, female second) literally mean “I am mortified”. They’re not commonly used, sounding a bit old-fashioned, but you might still hear these. Example:

• Ho dimenticato il nostro appuntamento. Sono mortificato.
  I forgot about our appointment. I am mortified.

Sono spiacente

Sono spiacente is often used to say sorry in Italian in business situations. For example, you might hear it on voicemail. It’s usually shortened to just spiacente. Examples:

• Sono spiacente, il numero da lei chiamato è occupato.
  I am sorry, the number you are calling is busy.
• Spiacente, devo proprio andare.
  Sorry, I really have to get going.

Come, scusa? / Come, scusi?

You use come, scusa? (casual) and come, scusi? (polite) to say sorry in Italian when you didn’t hear or understand what someone said. It can also be used to express disbelief. Examples:

• Come, scusi? Può ripetere, per favore?
  Sorry? Could you repeat that, please?
• Mamma, ho vinto diecimila euro! – Come, scusa?
  Mom, I won ten thousand euros! – Come again?

Even more ways to say sorry in Italian

The phrases you’re about to learn are less common and polite ways to apologize in Italian. You can use them whenever you want to be more creative with your language, but keep in mind that some of these may sound stiff or overly formal in a casual setting. Some of these can also be used to introduce a request:

• ti/le chiedo scusa (“my apologies”, informal and formal)
• ti/le chiedo perdono (“I ask for forgiveness”, informal and formal)
• ti/le/vi devo delle scuse (“I owe you an apology”, informal, formal and plural)
• (con) permesso (“if you allow me”)
• voglia/te scusarmi (“I beg your pardon”, formal and plural)
• chiedo venia (“I beg for forgiveness”)
• colpa mia (“my fault”)
• errore mio (“my mistake”)

You can say ti chiedo scusa/perdono and le chiedo scusa/perdono, which make the apology even more polite, in informal and formal settings, respectively. These mean “I beg your forgiveness” and can also be used to get someone’s attention. You could also just say chiedo scusa/perdono. For example:

• Chiedo scusa, potrebbe chiudere la porta?
  Excuse me, could you please close the door?
• Ho rotto un bicchiere inavvertitamente. Ti chiedo scusa.
  I broke a glass by accident. I apologize.

However, ti/le/vi devo delle scuse can only be used to apologize. Choose one depending on who you’re talking to, whether singular or plural, casual or polite. For example:

• Avrei dovuto seguire i tuoi consigli. Ti devo delle scuse.
  I should have followed your advice. I owe you an apology.
• Mamma, papà, ho mentito. Vi devo delle scuse.
  Mom, Dad, I lied. I owe you an apology.

You use permesso and con permesso to say sorry in Italian in a very specific situation: you have to go through a door, someone is in your way, and you have to squeeze in a bit to get through. In this case you can say…

• Permesso, posso passare?
  Excuse me, may I pass?
• Con permesso, mi scusi.
  Sorry, beg your pardon.

Voglia scusarmi is used to apologize in formal settings. It has a plural form, vogliate scusarmi. Examples:

• Voglia scusarmi, ma devo andare.
  Please excuse me, but I have to go.
• Vogliate scusarmi, mi aspettano in ufficio.
  Please excuse me, I am expected in the office.

You can use colpa mia and errore mio to admit your responsibility after making a mistake. For example:

• L’orologio non funziona! – Colpa mia, l’ho fatto cadere a terra per sbaglio.
  The clock doesn’t work! – My fault, I accidentally dropped it on the floor.
• Ti avevo chiesto di avvertirmi! – Errore mio, scusami.
  I asked you to warn me! – My mistake, sorry.

How to respond to “I’m sorry” in Italian

You may not be the one apologizing. Someone may be apologizing to you. In this case, it can be useful to know how to respond. When someone says they’re sorry in Italian, the most common responses are:

• nessun problema (“no problem”)
• non c’è problema (“there’s no problem”)
• non ti preoccupare (“don’t worry”, informal)
• non si preoccupi (“don’t worry”, formal)
• non vi preoccupate (“don’t worry”, plural)
• ti/la/vi perdono (“I forgive you”, informal, formal and plural)

And if you do not want to forgive, you can say:

• non ti perdonerò (I won’t forgive you)
• non hai scuse (you have no excuse)

Useful vocabulary for apologizing in Italian

Finally, let’s take a look at some common words you’ll want to learn to express apologies and regrets in Italian:

• perdono (forgiveness)
• perdonare (to forgive)
• colpa (fault)
• chiedere scusa (to apologize)
• senso di colpa (sense of guilt)
• responsabilità (responsability)
• scusarsi (to say sorry)
• fare ammenda (to remedy)
• rimorso (remorse)
• rimpianto (regret)
• rimpiangere (to regret)

How to say sorry in Italian: Conclusion

Now you should have all the tools you need to say sorry in Italian when you’ve made a mistake, but there’s a lot more to everyday life than apologizing. For example, if you haven’t already, you may need to learn how to say “thank you” or “please” in Italian.

Make sure you learn all of these things and no one will ever think of you as being rude or give you the side-eye!