Hacking: How to Say “Excuse Me” and “Sorry” in Italian

Today, we’re going to talk about how to make your life easier when you need to approach someone or a group of people and say “Excuse me” or “Sorry.”

You know those moments when you’re in a rush and your brain freezes — “Wait, is it scusa? scusi? scusate?” Yeah, let’s fix that once and for all.

Why So Many Ways to Say It?

There are multiple ways to say “excuse me” and “sorry” in Italian, and it depends on:

• how many people you’re talking to (one or more),
• the level of formality (informal or formal),
• and what part you’re stressing (me / us).

Nothing to panic about: I’ll give you a single formula that covers them all.

The 9 Forms — Just Like in the Video

Let’s take a look at all of them quickly, so you see where the confusion usually starts.

Informal — from one person to another

• Scusa — casual, one-to-one
• Scusami — same, with “mi” (pointless here)

Formal — from me to another person

• Scusi — formal, for an older or respected person.
• Mi scusi — stressing the me part (pointless here, again)

To Multiple People — no real formality difference

When talking to a group, there’s no formal vs informal distinction.
It’s just you → them.

Scusate/Scusatemi

The same logic applies for “sorry.”
You bump into someone? “Sorry.”
You spill water from your balcony on the people below (oops)? Still “sorry.”

The Real Hack — Why This Is Called “Hacking”

Okay, so why is this lesson called hacking?
Because choosing between those nine options can be a pain in the ass (pardon my French) when you’re in a hurry or not 100% confident with your Italian yet.

So here’s the trick — one single formula that works every time:

“chiedo scusa“.

You can use it in every situation:

• from me to one person (informal or formal),
• from us to one person,
• to multiple people,
• and it works for both “excuse me” and “sorry.”

Literally, it means “I ask for apologies.”

So instead of stressing out —

“Is it scusa? scusi? scusate?”

— you just say chiedo scusa, and boom, done.

Real-Life Examples

• You’re walking in the street and need directions:
  “excuse me, where’s the closest supermarket?”
  “chiedo scusa, dov’è il supermercato più vicino?”
• You bump into someone:
  “oh, sorry!”
  “oh, chiedo scusa!”
• You’re addressing a group:
  “excuse me, do you know where the pharmacy is?”
  “scusate, sapete dov’è la farmacia?”

That’s it. Super easy, super useful.
My students always tell me, “Filippo, this hack is brilliant.”
Not bragging — but it kinda is.

I’ve even applied this same hack logic to other languages I’ve studied, because it just works.

Conclusion — Simplify and Go

Simplify your life. Stop worrying about which version to use.
Just say K2 schools, and you’re good to go.

I am an older student and someone who hasn’t done too well with language learning.

I have been learning Italian with Filippo for 6 months now.

Filippo always comes prepared with a lesson plan but he is also very flexible if I have a concept that I want to go over again. I like that grammar concepts that were introduced in earlier lessons are built upon in later lessons – both to reinforce the knowledge and to build it so that I can make more complex sentences.

The lessons are fun and the hour always passes quickly. I would certainly recommend him to any native English speaker who wants to learn Italian!

Sondhya Ghedia, student from Australia(check all the other reviews here)

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