I do hear Entschuldigung a lot in this case, but what other words or phrases are there to politely excuse yourself while brushing past someone?
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4Not so polite forms: "Aus dem Weg!", "Heiß und fettig!", "Mutter mit Kind!", "Lasst mich vor, ich bin Arzt!". – user unknown Jun 28 '15 at 23:00
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2"Tüt-tüt!"... sehr umgangssprachlich und weder besonders höflich noch besonders unhöflich. – Robert Jun 29 '15 at 2:23
You can also say:
Verzeihung
Pardon
Sorry
And you can put an “Oh, …” at the beginning of your excuse.
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2And "Danke!" if the other person steps aside or "Darf ich bitte (durch)?" for those remaining in your way. – Stephie Jun 28 '15 at 19:48
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1In my opinion Verzeihung and Pardon are the most polite expressions, Entschuldigung is poilte, too and Sorry may be a bit lapidary, but this may vary from region to region. The English and French words are widely used - at least by people under 50 years ;-) – hellcode Jun 28 '15 at 19:56
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2@hellcode: this would also make a useful addendum to your great answer. – Takkat♦ Jun 28 '15 at 20:53
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2Pronunciation note: Pardon is not pronounced as in English; instead, either more or less as in French, or like Pardong (in any case stressed on the second syllable). – chirlu Jun 29 '15 at 6:33
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1@shinninja For me "Verzeihung" sounds much more polite than the rest and I prefer it. "Sorry" sounds very informal. – Ludi Jul 16 '15 at 21:56
related: When to use 'Entschuldigen Sie'
You would use "Entschuldigen Sie (bitte), .." if you want something or just "Entschuldigung?" if it is clear what you want .. for example, if people block your way in the supermarket and you want to pass.
"Entschuldigung, dürfte ich kurz vorbei." would be the nicest. You can add that if the person is not getting what you want or if you want to be extra polite.
"Sorry" instead of "Entschuldigung" is shorter and very common today, but you would only use it if you are dealing with younger people.
