# omlouvat se, promiňte



## Tagarela

Ahoj,

I have some begginers´ (at least I believe they are) doubts about Czech.

xxx

Other, I  haven´t understood very well when I should use *omlouvat se* or *promiňte*?

xxx

Děkuji pěkně za pomoc

Na shledanou.:


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## winpoj

Ahoj,

xxx

I think that "promiň/promiňte" is roughly equivalent to "sorry", while "omlouvám se" is more like "I apologize". However, "promiň/promiňte" also has the function of "excuse me". A frequently used informal word for "sorry" is "pardon".

xxx


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## Tagarela

Ahoj,

So usually, for small mistakes or intromissons, I must use promiňte and 'omlouvám se' for big matters, right? 
For example, if I have done some wrong procedure at work, and then, when I notice the mistake I go to talk to my co-workers and say "Omlouvá se ... ". 
But if I´m walking in the corridor and I run into someone holding a cup of coffee - I may say only "promiňte" or "pardon"?


Děkuji znovu

Na shledanou.:


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## winpoj

Hello,  Tagarela. I've been thinking about it and it seems to be a bit more complicated than that.
Certainly, we use "promiň/te" or "pardon" with very small blunders, such as stepping on someone's foot.
In most other situations, I think both verbs "prominout" and "omluvit" can be used in various ways, even in combination.
For example, I can imagine saying this, after bumping into someone carrying a coffee:

Ježišmarjá, promiňte. Moc se omlouvám. Přinesu vám utěrku.
(Jesus, sorry. I do apologize. I'll get you a towel.)

But the same may be true in very serious situations as well. Imagine I am a policeman addressing a mother whose son the police have mistakenly shot dead:

Jménem policie bych se vám chtěl hluboce omluvit za tuto velice nešťastnou událost. Promiňte nám, pokud je to vůbec možné.

(I would like to express my most sincere apologies on behalf of the police for this most unfortunate event. Please forgive us, if at all possible.)


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