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| INTRODUCTION |
| Ciao! Hello and welcome back to Italian survival phrases brought to you by ItalianPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Italy. You will be surprised at how far a little Italian will go. |
| Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| In today's lesson, we'll cover phrases used for apologizing. Now, as you haven't quite mastered Italian, it's probably very prudent to go over the phrases for apologizing as they just might come in handy. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| We'll start with "I'm sorry," which in Italian is Scusi. |
| Scusi. |
| Let's break it down by syllable Scu-si. |
| Now let’s hear it again. Scusi. |
| Please note that Scusi is the third singular person so it is used in the formal level of speech. |
| Talking to a friend, thus changing to the informal level of speech, you will use Scusa. |
| Scusa. |
| Let's break it down by syllable Scu-sa. |
| Now let’s hear it again. Scusa. |
| Scusa and Scusi are used when you might have said, or done, something offensive, wrong or embarrassing. |
| Be careful!!! Scusa and Scusi can be used ALSO as "Excuse me". |
| Use this when you are trying to work your way through a crowd, say at the subway station, or when you are trying to get someone’s attention in a store or asking for directions. |
| One more way to say "I am sorry" is Mi dispiace. |
| The main difference between Mi dispiace and Scusi, or Scusa is that Mi dispiace is to be used when something regrettable has happened. So we can say that Mi dispiace is a little bit stronger than Scusi and Scusa. |
| Now, what if someone says Scusi or Scusa to you, after having done something wrong and you want to respond "No problem" or "It doesn't matter". In this case the proper response should be Non fa niente. |
| Non fa niente. |
| Let's break it down by syllable Non fa nien-te. |
| Now let’s hear it again. Non fa niente. |
| Non fa niente can be used for both levels of speech, formal and informal. |
| Cultural Insights |
| Now let’s imagine a woman in an Italian bar, which in Italy is a café, ordering a cappuccino from the counter. She would say Scusi, un cappuccino per favore "Excuse me, a cappuccino please". Once when I was in a rush I walked into my favourite bar and went directly to the counter asking for an espresso, or in Italian, caffè espresso saying Scusi, un caffè per favore but the barman told me Signorina, deve fare lo scontrino! “Miss, you have to get the receipt”. So be careful, because often in Italian cafés you must first pay for your purchase and after showing the receipt to the barista he will make your drink. |
Outro |
|---|
| Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so buona fortuna, which means “good luck” in Italian. |
| "I'm sorry," “Excuse me.” (formal) - Scusi. |
| Scusi. |
| Scusi. |
| "I'm sorry," “Excuse me.” (informal) - Scusa. |
| Scusa. |
| Scusa. |
| "I am sorry" - Mi dispiace. |
| Mi dispiace. |
| Mi dispiace. |
| "No problem" or "It doesn't matter" - Non fa niente. |
| Non fa niente. |
| Non fa niente. |
| That’s going to do it for today. Ciao ciao! |
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