Learn how to refuse politely
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| Introduction | |
| Becky: Welcome to ItalianPod101.com. This is 3-Minute Italian Season 1, Lesson 6 - Refusing Politely. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to politely refuse an invitation in Italian. | |
| Body | |
| Becky: Here's the informal way to say 'No, thank you.' in Italian. | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] No, ti ringrazio. | |
| Becky: First is the word meaning 'no' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] no [Slow] no | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'you' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ti [Slow] ti | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning 'I thank' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ringrazio [Slow] ringrazio | |
| Becky: Listen again to the informal phrase meaning 'No, thank you.' | |
| Ofelia: [Slow] No, ti ringrazio. [Normal] No, ti ringrazio. | |
| Becky: Ok, now let's see the formal way to say 'No, thank you.' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] No, La ringrazio. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning 'no' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] no [Slow] no | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'you (polite)' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] La [Slow] La | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning 'I thank' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ringrazio [Slow] ringrazio | |
| Becky: Listen again to the formal phrase meaning 'No, thank you.' | |
| Ofelia: [Slow] No, La ringrazio. [Normal] No, La ringrazio. | |
| Becky: Next, let’s hear the informal way to say 'Sorry, but I already have a commitment.' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] Scusa, ma ho già un impegno. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning 'you excuse' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] scusa [Slow] scusa | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'but' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ma [Slow] ma | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'I have' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ho [Slow] ho | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'already' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] già [Slow] già | |
| Becky: Last is the phrase meaning 'a commitment' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] un impegno [Slow] un impegno | |
| Becky: Listen again to the informal phrase meaning 'Sorry, but I already have a commitment.' | |
| Ofelia: [Slow] Scusa, ma ho già un impegno. [Normal] Scusa, ma ho già un impegno. | |
| Becky: Finally here’s an formal way to say 'Sorry, but I already have a commitment.' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] Scusi, ma ho già un impegno. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning 'you excuse (polite)' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] scusi [Slow] scusi | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'but' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ma [Slow] ma | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'I have' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] ho [Slow] ho | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning 'already' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] già [Slow] già | |
| Becky: Last is the phrase meaning 'a commitment' | |
| Ofelia: [Normal] un impegno [Slow] un impegno | |
| Becky: Listen again to the formal phrase meaning 'Sorry, but I already have a commitment.' | |
| Ofelia: [Slow] Scusi, ma ho già un impegno. [Normal] Scusi, ma ho già un impegno. | |
| Cultural Insight | |
| Becky: Now it's time for a quick cultural insight. | |
| Ofelia: If you are invited to a meal by an Italian, please try not to refuse, unless you really have some extreme reason that doesn't depend on you. Eating and talking together is considered the most natural way to get along. | |
Outro |
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|---|---|
| Becky: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! | |
| Ofelia: Ciao! |
7 Comments
HideHey Listeners! How would you refuse an invitation? Let's practice.
Hi Craig,
don't confuse the present indicative with the imperative.
Indicative present:
io scuso = I excuse
tu scusi = you excuse
lui scusa = he excuses
Imperative:
(tu) scusa = (you) excuse
(Lei) scusi = (polite you) excuse
Hope this helps!
Valentina
Team ItalianPod101.com
Is there a mistake in this lession? It says the formal form of scusare is scusi (familiar 2nd person), not scusa (the formal third person? Am I missing something?
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team ItalianPod101.com
As usual, fully comprehensive. Excellent! Thank you.
Hi Neelam,
Thank you for posting.
You can find some useful phrases here: Common Ways to Say Thank You!
I hope this helps!
Ofelia
Team ItalianPod101.com
Hi, enjoying the short crisp lessons. I wish I could save the phrases in the flash cards rather than individual words.