Italian › Phrases › Sorry in Italian
The quick answer: scusa (SKOO-zah) to someone you know, scusi (SKOO-zee) to a stranger. For genuine regret it is mi dispiace — which is sympathy, not fault, and using it for a spilled drink sounds like declining the blame.
Scusa or scusi — the choice you make first
Both mean sorry. Which one you use is decided before you open your mouth, by who is standing in front of you.
Scusa is for anyone you would call tu: friends, family, children, people your own age you already know.
Scusi is for anyone you would call Lei: a shopkeeper, someone older, an official, a person you have just been introduced to. It is the same word wearing a formal coat.
Get it wrong in the scusi direction and nothing happens — nobody minds being treated respectfully. Get it wrong the other way and it lands as familiar.
Every way to apologise, spoken
| Italian | Say it like | What it does | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scusa | SKOO-zah | Sorry / excuse me — to someone you call tu. The everyday one. | |
| Scusi | SKOO-zee | The same word to someone you call Lei. A stranger, an older person, anyone behind a counter. | |
| Scusate | skoo-ZAH-teh | To more than one person. Walking into a room late, this is the one. | |
| Mi dispiace | mee dees-PYAH-cheh | I’m sorry — but for you, not because of me. Sympathy, not apology. | |
| Mi dispiace tanto | mee dees-PYAH-cheh TAHN-toh | I’m so sorry. What you say when someone has had bad news. | |
| Chiedo scusa | KYEH-doh SKOO-zah | I ask forgiveness. Formal, and it carries real weight. Note ch is a k. | |
| Perdonami | pehr-DOH-nah-mee | Forgive me. Personal, and a little dramatic if you are not close. | |
| Colpa mia | KOHL-pah MEE-ah | My fault. Short, direct, and Italians use it constantly. | |
| Non volevo | nohn voh-LEH-voh | I didn’t mean to. Pairs with scusa. | |
| Permesso | pehr-MEHS-soh | Not an apology — “may I pass”. What you actually say squeezing past someone. | |
| Figurati | fee-GOO-rah-tee | Don’t mention it. The reply, informal. | |
| Si figuri | see fee-GOO-ree | The same reply, formal. | |
| Non fa niente | nohn fah NYEHN-teh | It’s nothing. The other standard reply. | |
| Tranquillo | trahn-KWEEL-loh | Relax, it’s fine. Tranquilla to a woman. |
The distinction that actually matters
Scusa and mi dispiace both come out as “I’m sorry” in English, and they are not interchangeable.
Scusa apologises. You did something. It was small. You are acknowledging it and moving on.
Mi dispiace sympathises. Literally “it displeases me”. Something has happened, you feel badly about it, and it may well have had nothing to do with you.
So at a funeral, mi dispiace. Tread on a foot, scusa. And knocking a glass of wine into someone’s lap and saying mi dispiace is a small masterpiece of not taking the blame — which Italians hear immediately.
🇮🇹 Permesso is not an apology. It means “may I?”, and it is what Italians actually say squeezing past someone on a bus or stepping into a room. English speakers reach for scusa in those moments and it is not wrong — it is just not what a local would say.
Saying these out loud
sc before u is a hard sk. Scusa is SKOO-zah. Before i or e it would soften to sh — which is why scusi is still SKOO-zee, because the u is doing the protecting.
ch is a hard k. Chiedo scusa is KYEH-doh, never “chee-eh-doh”. See our pronunciation guide for why that rule never breaks.
Doubled consonants are held. Permesso is pehr-MEHS-soh with a real stop. Tranquillo is trahn-KWEEL-loh.
Three moments, three different words
The table above gives you the words. This is which one comes out of your mouth, in the three situations where visitors most often reach for the wrong one.
On a crowded bus, trying to reach the door. Not scusa. Permesso — may I pass. This is the single most common correction we get asked about, and it is the one that instantly sounds local.
You have knocked someone’s drink over. Scusi, mi dispiace, colpa mia — all three, in that order, and it is not too much. Italians stack apologies when something has actually gone wrong.
Someone tells you their mother has died. Mi dispiace tanto. Never scusa, which would be nonsense here — you are not apologising, you are grieving with them. Le mie condoglianze is the formal version.
What to say when they apologise to you
Italian expects an answer, and having one ready matters more than getting your own apology elegant.
Figurati (fee-GOO-rah-tee) — don’t mention it, to someone you call tu. Si figuri to someone you call Lei. Both are warm and both close the matter.
Non fa niente — it’s nothing. Neutral, universal.
Tranquillo — relax, it’s fine. Tranquilla to a woman. Younger and friendlier.
Saying nothing does not read as gracious in Italian. It reads as though the apology was not accepted.
Key facts
- Scusa (SKOO-zah) is the informal sorry; scusi (SKOO-zee) is the formal one.
- Mi dispiace expresses sympathy, not fault — it is closer to “I’m sorry to hear that”.
- Chiedo scusa is the formal apology and carries real weight.
- Permesso means “may I pass” and is not an apology at all.
- The standard replies are figurati (informal) and si figuri (formal), both meaning “don’t mention it”.
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