Quick Answer
Con permiso means excuse me in Mexican Spanish, said as you squeeze past somebody, reach across them or leave a room. It is the word for movement; perdón apologizes. The traditional reply is propio - the permission was always yours.
- Con permiso means excuse me, and it is the word for movement - squeezing past, reaching across, leaving a room.
- Perdón apologizes, and can also soften an interruption. Disculpe opens a request to a stranger.
- The traditional reply is propio, meaning you never had to ask.
What it means
A request made half a second before you do something small that involves somebody else's space. Passing, reaching, crossing in front of, standing up and leaving.
The leaving sense is the one foreigners miss. Standing up from a table or walking out of a room in Mexico takes con permiso, and skipping it reads as walking out rather than as being quiet.
Leaving a family lunch
YouCon permiso, ya me tengo que ir.
Excuse me, I have to head off.Said as you stand. This is the use foreigners skip, and it is the one that registers.
ThemPropio. ¿Tan temprano?
Of course. So early?Propio is the traditional reply. Pásele, adelante or a nod all do the same job.
YouEs que mañana entro a las siete.
I start at seven tomorrow.A reason is expected, and it does not have to be a good one.
ThemÁndele pues. Salúdeme a su mamá.
Alright then. Say hello to your mother.And the greeting-by-proxy closes it. Answer con permiso once more on the way out.
How Mexicans use it
Moving through people it is constant. A Metro car, a market aisle, a row of chairs - it is said continuously and quietly, and nobody looks up.
At a table it marks leaving. Con permiso as you stand is expected, and it does not require anybody to answer.
At a door it comes with crossing the threshold. Somebody says pásele, you say con permiso, and you walk in - the two arrive together.
In an office con su permiso is the polite spoken exit from a meeting or a conversation. It does not go in writing - an email closes with saludos or quedo atento, and con su permiso in a sign-off reads like a costume drama.
Examples
- Con permiso, ya me voy.Excuse me, I'm heading off.
- Permiso, permiso, voy bajando.Excuse me, excuse me, I'm getting off.
- Con su permiso, señora.If I may, ma'am.
- Con permiso. - Propio.Excuse me. - Of course.
What do you say back to con permiso?
- Propio.Of course.The traditional one, and mostly from older speakers
- Pásele.Go ahead.At a doorway, and the commonest reply
- Adelante.Go ahead.Neutral and slightly more formal
- Sí, sí, pase.Yes, yes, come through.In a crowd, usually without anybody looking up
What con permiso is actually doing
- The feeling · how much of the word it is
- Making room36%A Metro car, a market aisle, a row of chairs. Said continuously and quietly.
- Leaving29%Standing up from a table or walking out of a room. The use foreigners miss.
- Reaching21%Across somebody for the salt. Before, not after.
- Formality14%Con su permiso, in an office or a formal house. Never wrong, slightly ceremonious.
How tone changes con permiso
- fastPermiso, permiso.Excuse me, excuse me.
- standardCon permiso.Excuse me.
- formalCon su permiso.If I may.
- leavingCon permiso, ya me voy.Excuse me, I'm off.
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Using perdón to announce a movement. It is not wrong Spanish - perdón softens interruptions all day long - but for crossing a room, squeezing past or standing up to leave, con permiso is the one Mexicans reach for.
Only using it to squeeze past. Leaving a table without it is the more common miss and the one that actually registers, because the family notices somebody walking off mid-meal. The dictionary agrees, incidentally: the DLE glosses the phrase as asking permission to enter or leave a place.
Don't sound gringo
con permiso is for moving - through, past, or away. it is the one you say as you stand up to leave, which is the part foreigners skip.
It is not only for squeezing past. Leaving a table, a room or a conversation takes it too - standing up mid-meal without saying con permiso reads as walking out, and this is the use foreigners miss most often.
The split worth memorizing is about what you are doing, not when. Con permiso is for movement: through a crowd, past somebody, out of a room. Perdón apologizes - standing on a foot - and it also softens an interruption, so perdón, ¿me pasas la sal? is completely normal and not a mistake. Disculpe opens a request to a stranger: disculpe, ¿dónde está el baño?
There is a traditional answer, and it is one word: propio, or es propio - roughly the permission is your own, you did not have to ask. It is more common from older speakers and in more formal houses, and hearing it once explains a lot. The everyday answers are pásele, adelante, or a nod.
Con su permiso is the usted version and belongs in an office, a formal house, or on the way out of a meeting - spoken. Nobody signs an email with it; that is saludos, quedo atento or gracias de antemano. Bare permiso is the fast one you say to a wall of people on the Metro.
Where you'll hear it
- Somebody standing up from a long lunch and saying it to nobody in particular
- A carriage being crossed diagonally, one word at a time
- A market aisle wide enough for one and a half people
- A meeting being left early, with the full usted version
Spice level
Works with anyone, anywhere.
FAQ
What does con permiso mean?
Excuse me - said before you squeeze past somebody, reach across them, or leave a room.
What is the difference between con permiso and perdón?
What they are for. Con permiso announces a movement - through, past, or out of a room. Perdón apologizes, and it also softens an interruption, so perdón, ¿me pasas la sal? is perfectly normal.
When do I say disculpe instead?
When you are getting a stranger's attention. Disculpe, ¿dónde está el baño? opens a request; con permiso opens a movement.
What does propio mean as a reply?
Roughly: the permission was always yours, you did not have to ask. It is the traditional answer, more common from older speakers.
Do I say it when I leave a table?
Yes, and this is the use foreigners miss most. Standing up mid-meal without it reads as walking out.
What is con su permiso?
The usted version - a shade more ceremonious, right for an office, a formal house, or leaving a meeting.
Can I just say permiso?
Yes. The bare form is the fast one, and it is what you say crossing a full Metro car.
con permiso vs perdón, disculpe and pásele
con permisovsperdón
Perdón apologizes for something that already happened - you stood on a foot. It also softens an interruption, so perdón, ¿me pasas la sal? is ordinary. What it does not do is announce a movement through or past somebody; that is this one.Page coming sooncon permisovsdisculpe
For getting a stranger's attention. Disculpe, ¿dónde está el baño? opens a request; con permiso opens a movement.Page coming sooncon permisovspásele
The opposite direction of the same moment. You say con permiso as you cross a threshold; they say pásele - usted, because you are the guest - to bring you through it.con permisovspropio
The traditional reply, not another way of saying it. Propio means the permission was always yours - you will hear it most from older speakers.Page coming soon
Related words
Test yourself
Tap an answer.
You need to reach across someone for the salt. What do you say?
You stand up to leave a family lunch. What's expected?
The one thing
con permiso is for movement - past somebody, across them, or out of the room. perdón apologizes. the traditional reply is propio: the permission was always yours.
Sources
- DictionarypermisoDiccionario de la lengua españolaCarries the locution itself: con permiso, o permiso, used to ask leave to enter or leave a place - which is direct support for the leaving-a-table use.
- Institution«¿Mande?»: qué tanto hay de sumisión en esta respuesta de cortesía tan usada en MéxicoAcademia Mexicana de la LenguaOn the notably courteous character of Mexican Spanish, and why these formulas are read as manners rather than deference.
- DictionaryperdónDiccionario de la lengua españolaThe other half of the pair, and why it is an apology rather than an announcement.
- Context«con permiso» / «propio» - native-speaker usage threadWordReference ForumsUseful on how uneven the propio reply is across the Spanish-speaking world.
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