Извините - the word you'll use most on any Russian street. Getting attention, passing through crowds, interrupting politely. Here's the full toolkit.
Извините is the single most useful word for navigating Russian in real life. It covers: getting a stranger's attention, squeezing past someone on the metro, interrupting a conversation politely, and apologizing for minor bumps.
The informal version is Извини - for friends, family, children. On the street with strangers, always use Извините (the вы-form).
Простите works too, but carries slightly more weight. Think of Извините as "excuse me" and Простите as "pardon me" - the second sounds a touch more formal and deferential. Both are correct; Извините is more common for attention-getting.
Извините is the вы-imperative of извинить (to excuse). The construction is: stem извини- + -те (formal/plural imperative ending). Drop the -те for informal: Извини. This -те pattern is the single most productive formal-request tool in Russian: скажите (tell me), подождите (wait), покажите (show me). Every informal imperative becomes formal by adding -те.
Different situations call for different phrases - from a quick "excuse me" to politely flagging down a stranger.
| Russian | Pronunciation | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Извините | Izvinite | "Excuse me." Default. Getting attention, passing through, minor apology. |
| Простите | Prostite | "Pardon me." Slightly more polite. Also works for attention-getting. |
| Скажите, пожалуйста | Skazhite, pozhaluysta | "Tell me, please." Great for asking directions or information. |
| Разрешите | Razreshite | "Allow me." Squeezing past someone on a bus, in a crowd. Physical movement. |
| Подождите! | Podozhdite! | "Wait!" Getting someone to stop. Not rude - just direct. |
| Пропустите, пожалуйста | Propustite, pozhaluysta | "Let me through, please." Direct request to move. Metro, queues. |
| Можно вас? | Mozhno vas? | "May I [have] you?" Polite way to pull someone aside for a question. |
Russians don't say excuse me as much as English speakers. In English, "excuse me" gets sprinkled constantly - before questions, when passing, when reaching for something. In Russian, a simple purposeful movement through a crowd doesn't require a verbal excuse me. You say Извините when you actually need someone's attention or when you've inconvenienced them, not as a reflexive politeness filler.
On the metro: Вы выходите? The most important "excuse me" on the Moscow metro isn't Извините - it's Вы выходите? (Are you getting off?). This is how you signal that you need to get to the door. If they say no, they'll move. If yes, you wait. This question replaces "excuse me, coming through" entirely.
Don't say Эй! (Hey!) to get a stranger's attention. In Russian, Эй is rude - it's what you'd shout at someone being aggressive, not how you politely approach a stranger. Always start with Извините or Простите.
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