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On a previous visit to Germany, I’m sure I’ve heard (although I may well be very wrong) native Germans using an abbreviation of Entschuldigung.

The abbreviation I think I heard was Schuldi or something similar sounding to this.

Am I correct?

Do Germans have an abbreviation for the word Entschuldigung that’s in the common vernacular?

(and this may well be a region-specific thing).

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  • Yes, it's an absurdly long way to say "excuse me". When I was learning conversational Yiddish I asked if I could just say "shuldig" but people found that idea comical. We also have a Semitic equivalent though, "sei mir moykhal (lit. "be me forgiving...".
    – Marty Green
    Commented Feb 29, 2012 at 22:23
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    @MartyGreen: So 4 syllables are absurdly long, but 3 syllables are fine? Do you have an objective measurement to make such assertions?
    – user unknown
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 7:52
  • Sounds like a guessing game. How should we know what you have heard?
    – user unknown
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 8:50
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    @userunknown - I don't expect you to know what I heard (and I probably misheard it anyway) but the actual question is not based upon guessing what I heard but to ask if there is a legitimate abbreviation of the word Entschuldigung in common usage. No guessing required!
    – CraigTP
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 10:34
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    Where in Germany did you hear that!
    – Carsten S
    Commented Nov 1, 2016 at 21:32

7 Answers 7

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I think what you heard was:

"Tschuldigung."

I'd say this is the "proper" and only abbreviation. It was used in a title of a newspaper article. When I (Berlin) speak in dialect and fast it might contract to something like:

"Tschu-jung."

"Schuldi" sound very unlikely to me as this would skip the last syllable, which is sort of decisive for the word. Schuldi could also be Schuldiger, Schuldige or schuldig.

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  • 7
    In southern regions the leading 'T' may also be ommited to make it sound like "Schulliung".
    – Takkat
    Commented Feb 29, 2012 at 11:09
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    Thanks and I wish I could give another +1 for the indication that, in this case, it's the last syllable for this word that is decisive making it far less likely that I heard "Schuldi".
    – CraigTP
    Commented Mar 9, 2012 at 11:17
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As already mentioned: Tschuldigung seems to be the word you heard.

Sorry is also very common,

Verzeihung is another possibility. (I'm from South Germany and I wouldn't use it. But I think it is used in other parts Germanys)

In Switzerland you may hear also éxgüsee or Exgüsi (from the French excusez).

Sometimes I heard a 'Pardon` (French pronunciation).

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  • in bavarian dialect, french words are quite common like "merci", "pardon" but with german pronounciation
    – Rito
    Commented Mar 2, 2012 at 11:45
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When you want to pass someone who is in your way, say on an escalator, you could say "Entschuldigung", but - in Vienna at least - you can also hear "Gestatten?" ("Do you allow?") or "Darf ich?" ("may I?"), especially from older people.

Also, when spoken quickly in Viennese dialect, it can sound like "tschuigung".

Du "Du"-variation of "Entschuldigung" is "entschuldige", by the way, and it can be abbreviated in speech to "'tschuldige".

I've never heard "Schuldi".

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    I think I never heard "gestatten" or "darf ich" in this context here in Germany. But I would understand the meaning, and it sounds quite nice!
    – 0x6d64
    Commented Mar 11, 2012 at 10:10
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It wasn't what you heard, but nowadays it's very common to hear a

Sorry!

from native Germans - well, we just like anglicisms...

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  • Indeed... I say sorry all the time
    – Emanuel
    Commented Mar 1, 2012 at 13:11
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    @Emanuel: Have thought about not doing so much bad, in order to not to have to say "Sorry" all the time? :)
    – sbi
    Commented Mar 4, 2012 at 21:09
  • you are right. I am sorry :D
    – Emanuel
    Commented Mar 4, 2012 at 21:28
  • You might hear "Exekussemie" with the second and third e very audible.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Apr 29, 2018 at 15:16
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I have heard this, near Konstanz. I think it was some sort of Schwabish-Swiss ultra-local slang, but I've asked loads of German speakers from everywhere else, and they all deny it exists! I would avoid any abbreviation shorter than Entschuldigung if you want to be understood.

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The word Schuldi exists

and I think it's what you've heard.

I've heard it sometimes in conversations myself, there is also an entry in Mundmische (the German version of the Urban Dictionary).

It's an exclusively colloquial, exceedingly informal and very, very 'cute' (some would say annoying) way to say Entschuldigung. Caution: may appear ridiculous if used in an inappropriate context. So it's not a common abbreviation.

For other abbreviations see the other answers.

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  • Why the downvote?
    – amadeusamadeus
    Commented Apr 19, 2021 at 14:33
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Tschuldi’ was used on tv (Nordic Murders with subtitles on Amazon Prime) between characters playing a married couple being cozy on a sofa (Follows idea that it’s ‘cute’ or intimate). More like baby-talk than functional colloquialism.

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