# Pardon/Sorry/Neem me niet kwalijk - getting attention



## Ooop

I know in many languages there is often a bit of a grey area between the word to apologise and the word to get someone's attention.

I'm looking for a simple way to get someone's attention in Dutch.  'Neem me niet kwalijk' seems a bit of a mouthful.  Many online sources suggest 'Pardon'.  My Dutch tutor doesn't like 'pardon' and instead suggested saying 'sorry' was a better way to get someone's attention.  Saying 'sorry' to get someone's attention seems a bit unusual to me.  I'd guess that 'pardon' might be used more for this.. 

Which of 'pardon' and 'sorry' sounds the most natural to a native Dutch speaker to get someone's attention?  Perhaps it depends where you live?


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## Engeland

Huh, Dutch people have always understood 'pardon' for me. Excuseer me/mij seems to be valid too though, aswell


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## Ooop

I don't know why the Dutch speaker I asked was against using 'Pardon' to get someone's attention, perhaps she thought it sounded too French.  

But then 'Sorry' to me sounds very English..


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## YellowOnline

"Sorry" is English (German) indeed and both "pardon" and "excuseer (mij)" are French (Latin). The purest Dutch is probably indeed "neem mij niet kwalijk". Still: all of them are acceptable. I have a preference for "excuseer" because I'm tired of the ubiquity of the word "sorry" and "pardon" is usually too formal (in Flemish it's too informal however ) and its meaning is a bit over-the-top too ("forgive me"). 

Or I just think about those things too much.


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## bibibiben

Ooop said:


> Which of 'pardon' and 'sorry' sounds the most natural to a native Dutch speaker to get someone's attention?  Perhaps it depends where you live?



When you want someone's attention, there's nothing wrong with using _pardon_ in the Netherlands. _Sorry_ is just as good. _Neem me niet kwalijk_ is a mouthful indeed, but is still alive. Younger generations are less inclined to use this expression, though. _Excuseer_ is not that common in the Netherlands, probably more so in Belgium.


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## vanves

Totally agree with bibibiben. Just one more thing: I have never ever heard any Dutch person say "Excuseer", according to me its use is 100% restricted to Belgium (but I can't tell for the Dutch areas next to the Belgian border).


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## Ywelis

I usually say "Sorry, mag ik wat vragen?" Or just "Mag ik wat vragen?". Just saying "Sorry" feels awkward to me, but it is possible. I would usually say "Pardon" when I want to get past someone, but you could use it for asking attention, as well. 
I like "Excuseer", but it is not used (anymore?) in the Netherlands, unfortunately.


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## Hitchhiker

When I was in Belgium as a student, excuseer seemed fairly common. When I was first learning Dutch I had a book that explained the use of pardon and the English word sorry in Dutch. I don't recall the details but there was some mention about what is usually said when wanting to pass somebody. I still have that book somewhere. It was written by a British professor of Germanic languages.


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## lalaba

I would use 'excuseer' when in Flanders (Belgium).  'Neem me niet kwalijk' sounds more like a phrase to be used in the Netherlands as mentioned before.  'Sorry' and 'pardon' can be used and I would prefer 'sorry' over 'pardon'.


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## bibibiben

Hitchhiker said:


> When I was in Belgium as a student, excuseer seemed fairly common. When I was first learning Dutch I had a book that explained the use of pardon and the English word sorry in Dutch. I don't recall the details but there was some mention about what is usually said when wanting to pass somebody. I still have that book somewhere. It was written by a British professor of Germanic languages.



Must have been B. C. Donaldson. Quote from his invaluable book _Beyond the dictionary in Dutch_:

"The most common word is _sorry_, which, as is often the case with English loanwords in Dutch, is used differently than in English. In addition to meaning 'sorry' as an apology, it can also render English 'excuse me': if pushing one's way through a crowd, for example,  the Dutch say _sorry (hoor)_ or _pardon_ where we would say 'excuse me'. If one trod on s.o.'s toes while pushing through a crowd, however, one could also say _sorry _or _pardon_ or _Neemt u mij niet kwalijk/neem me niet kwalijk_."


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## Hitchhiker

bibibiben said:


> Must have been B. C. Donaldson. Quote from his invaluable book _Beyond the dictionary in Dutch_:
> 
> "The most common word is _sorry_, which, as is often the case with English loanwords in Dutch, is used differently than in English. In addition to meaning 'sorry' as an apology, it can also render English 'excuse me': if pushing one's way through a crowd, for example,  the Dutch say _sorry (hoor)_ or _pardon_ where we would say 'excuse me'. If one trod on s.o.'s toes while pushing through a crowd, however, one could also say _sorry _or _pardon_ or _Neemt u mij niet kwalijk/neem me niet kwalijk_."



That does sound like it may have been his book. There weren't many Dutch grammar books available and they were three rimes the price of French and Spanish books.

I didn't know excuseer was considered old fashioned or exclusive to Belgium. 

I didn't get to hear much Dutch from the Netherlands, but when I was a student in Belgium, there were some students from the Netherlands in Belgium because the Belgian universities would accept anybody while the universities in the Netherlands had qualifications and waiting lists to accept students.


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## GQ.Wong

Ooop said:


> I know in many languages there is often a bit of a grey area between the word to apologise and the word to get someone's attention.
> 
> I'm looking for a simple way to get someone's attention in Dutch.  'Neem me niet kwalijk' seems a bit of a mouthful.  Many online sources suggest 'Pardon'.  My Dutch tutor doesn't like 'pardon' and instead suggested saying 'sorry' was a better way to get someone's attention.  Saying 'sorry' to get someone's attention seems a bit unusual to me.  I'd guess that 'pardon' might be used more for this..
> 
> Which of 'pardon' and 'sorry' sounds the most natural to a native Dutch speaker to get someone's attention?  Perhaps it depends where you live?



Pardon, ik heb een vraag.
Pardom, mag ik u wat vragen.

Or just raise your hand and say: Ik heb een vraag. Or if you want to say it casual (if you are discussing something with friends): FF, een vraagje.

Sorry, is English, but we use a lot of English words. Sorry is better to use, if you need to go through for example if you are in the bus you could say:

Sorry, mag ik even langs/ Pardon mag ik er even langs.


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## bibibiben

GQ.Wong said:


> Pardon, ik heb een vraag.
> Pardon, mag ik u wat vragen.



Pardo*n*, mag ik u wat vragen*?*



GQ.Wong said:


> Or if you want to say it casual (if you are discussing something with friends): FF, een vraagje.


That's not how you write the informal word _effe_.  _Effe_ is not followed by a comma either. Correct would be: _Effe een vraagje_. Quite some speakers would consider this sloppy speech, though.



GQ.Wong said:


> Sorry, mag ik even langs/ Pardon mag ik er even langs.



Sorry, mag ik *er *even langs*?*/Pardon, mag ik er even langs*?*


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## GQ.Wong

bibibiben said:


> Pardo*n*, mag ik u wat vragen*?*
> 
> 
> That's not how you write the informal word _effe_.  _Effe_ is not followed by a comma either. Correct would be: _Effe een vraagje_. Quite some speakers would consider this sloppy speech, though.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, mag ik *er *even langs*?*/Pardon, mag ik er even langs*?*



Yes you are right.
I typed it pretty vast, so didn´t pay attention to the ?

The M is abiously a typo.
And the ER I forgot to type. But thanks for correcting.

Effe een vraagje is sloppy speech, but it´s natural in my opinion.

You could also say: Ik heb even een vraag. Or simply raise your hand and one contact is establish say: Ik heb een vraag.


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