Com Licença vs. Desculpa: Get Attention or Apologize in Portuguese — Practice

Say com licença to pass or make a small interruption

Com licença is a polite way to ask someone to let you pass, to enter a space, or to briefly interrupt. It works before an action, much like “excuse me.” Use it when you need room on a crowded bus or want to get past someone in a shop.

The phrase can also open a question to a stranger or colleague. Add a short request so the other person understands what you need, and use a calm tone in close spaces.

Use desculpa or desculpe to acknowledge a mistake

Desculpa is a common informal way to say “sorry” to one person. Desculpe is a more formal or respectful form, and desculpem addresses a group. Everyday address varies, so listen to how people around you speak and choose the level of formality that fits.

A small apology can name what happened: desculpa, esbarrei em você (sorry, I bumped into you). If the mistake caused a problem, add a brief explanation or offer to fix it rather than repeating the apology without context.

Choose perdão for a polite repeat or apology

Perdão can mean “pardon” or “forgive me.” You may use it when you did not hear something and want the person to repeat it, or as a polite apology. It can sound more formal than casual desculpa, although tone and situation matter.

If someone is speaking softly, a friendly Você pode repetir, por favor? is often clearer than a single-word question. In a louder setting, perdão? can quickly signal that you missed the last part.

Match the phrase to the action and the relationship

Before moving through a space or interrupting, try com licença. After a small mistake, use desculpa or desculpe. When asking someone to repeat or acknowledging a more formal situation, perdão can work well. These are useful tendencies, not rigid rules for every Brazilian speaker.

For related practice, read the Real Life Portuguese guides to asking for help and polite requests. I Speak Portuguese teachers can role-play a crowded café, a meeting, and a quick repair after a misunderstanding. A short phrase plus a specific request keeps the interaction easy to follow.

Remember: Use com licença before passing or interrupting, desculpa/desculpe after a mistake, and perdão for a polite pardon or request to repeat.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Excuse me, may I get by?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Com licença, posso passar?

2. Excuse me, where is the station?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Com licença, onde fica a estação?

3. Excuse me, may I ask a question?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Com licença, posso fazer uma pergunta?

4. Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Desculpa, não ouvi o que você disse.

5. I’m sorry for being late. (more formal)

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Desculpe pelo atraso.

6. Sorry to interrupt the conversation. (to a group)

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Desculpem interromper a conversa.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use com licença before passing or interrupting, desculpa/desculpe after a mistake, and perdão for a polite pardon or request to repeat.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Com Licença vs. Desculpa: Get Attention or Apologize in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.