In Colombian Spanish, use con permiso or permiso when you are asking to pass, enter, leave, or use something.
They are polite permission phrases, not a blanket translation for every English excuse me.
The conversations below are original teaching examples, with English translations. Suggested replies are options to adapt to your relationship.
Use it for permission, movement, or access
Con permiso is the clearest choice when you need space or authorization: walking past someone, entering or leaving a room, or asking to use an object. Permiso is a shorter version of the same idea and still sounds courteous.
A good mental test is this: are you asking people to let you do something? If yes, con permiso or permiso fits well. If you are apologizing for a mistake or trying to correct what you heard, this page’s phrase is not the right all-purpose answer.
These are general Spanish courtesy expressions used in Colombia, not expressions exclusive to Colombian Spanish. Before a fuller request to use something, con permiso is a useful complete opener; bare permiso relies more on the situation being obvious.
You need to pass between people
Illustrative conversation
YOUCon permiso, voy a pasar.
Excuse me, I’m going to pass through.
THEMSí, claro.
Yes, of course.
YOUGracias.
Thank you.
This teaches the core use: you are not apologizing, but requesting room to move. Adding voy a pasar makes your intention clear, which is useful in crowded or formal situations.
Shorter
Permiso.
Excuse me.
Works when the situation already makes your meaning obvious, such as squeezing past someone.
More explicit
Con permiso, ¿me deja pasar?
Excuse me, would you let me pass?
Useful when you want a fuller request rather than just announcing movement.
You want to use something
Illustrative conversation
YOUCon permiso, ¿puedo usar esta silla?
Excuse me, may I use this chair?
THEMSí, úsala.
Yes, use it.
YOUMuchas gracias.
Thank you very much.
Here permiso introduces a request for authorization. The phrase works because the action is about using something that belongs to someone else or is in their space.
Check whether it is free
¿Está libre esta silla?
Is this chair free?
Ask about availability first if you are unsure whether someone is using it.
If you only need to pass, not use it
Con permiso, paso por aquí.
Excuse me, I’m passing through here.
Choose this when the issue is movement, not asking to borrow or use an object.
If someone says permiso or con permiso to you, they are usually signaling a practical need right now: they want to go by, come in, leave, or access something. The most natural response is to make room, allow the action, or answer the request directly.
Do not overread it as an apology or a deep social message. In many cases it functions almost like a brief notice: the person is politely marking that they need permission or passage.
The main mistake is treating permiso as a universal translation of English excuse me. English uses excuse me for several jobs, but permiso/con permiso belongs specifically to the authorization-and-passage meaning.
Register: both forms are polite and widely suitable. Con permiso sounds fuller; permiso sounds briefer. Unsuitable use: saying permiso after bumping into someone, interrupting with an apology, or asking someone to repeat what they said can sound off because you are no longer asking permission to pass, enter, leave, or use something.
For an apology, perdón or disculpe may fit instead. To ask for repetition, try Perdón, ¿puede repetirlo? (Sorry, could you repeat that?). Choose according to what you need the other person to do.
Both are polite for permission contexts. Con permiso is the fuller, clearer form; permiso is shorter and works well when the situation already shows what you need.
Can I use this for every kind of English excuse me?
No. Use it when you are asking room, entry, exit, or authorization to use something. For other meanings of excuse me, you will usually need a different Spanish phrase.
