scusare

to excuse

verb skoo-ZAH-reh Rare

Origin: Latin excusare, from ex- + causa (cause)

Also means

to forgive

Usage Note

Scusare and its reflexive scusarsi are the standard ways to apologize in Italian. Mi scusi is the formal 'excuse me' (addressing someone as Lei), while scusami is informal. Note that scusa (noun, f) means 'excuse' or 'apology'. It takes avere as its auxiliary.

Examples

"Mi scusi per il ritardo."

Natural Translation

Excuse me for the delay.

Literal Translation

To-me excuse for the delay.

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