The Italian language can be very formal, therefore knowing the difference between words that are similiar but have different registers, can be helpful to avoid confusion between “scusa”, “scusami”, and “mi scusi”.
Let’s find out!
“Mi scusi” is pretty much like “excuse me”, so it’s formal. We will use this one to ask for directions, apologise to a stranger, speak in formal contexts.
“Scusa” is its informal version. We will use it with our friends, family and all those people we would normally address using “tu”.
“Scusami” is basically “scusa” + “mi”, therefore it’s more emphatic, almost like a “mi dispiace”. We will use it with a friend, probably, because it sounds warmer.
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