One French Word - Episode 3: Pardon
You step onto a crowded bus, and someone is standing right in front of the door. You need one small French word before you move past them: pardon.
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One French Word - Episode 3: Pardon
Today’s word is pardon — a practical way to say “excuse me” after a small interruption, or “pardon?” when you need someone to repeat themselves.
It sounds roughly like “par-DOHN.” The French r is farther back than the English r, and the final n is nasal rather than a separate consonant. French Wiktionary records the pronunciation and lists polite uses such as apologizing after a minor bump or asking someone to repeat themselves. 1
Try these examples:
- Pardon ! — Excuse me! / Sorry!
- Pardon, je passe. — Excuse me, I’m passing through.
- Pardon ? — Sorry, what did you say?
Use pardon when you need to pass, lightly bump someone, or ask for a repeat. The rising question sound in pardon ? helps signal that you did not hear. Collins gives pardon ? as the French expression for “what did you say?” 2
When you hear the episode, say each example aloud before moving on.
References
- 1pardon — Wiktionnaire, le dictionnaire libre
fr.wiktionary.org
- 2French Translation of “PARDON ME!” | Collins English-French Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com
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