Learn French: Excuse-moi, je ne comprends pas.

Excuse-moi is the informal way to say "excuse me." You use it with someone you would call tu, like a friend, family member, or a child. If you are speaking to a stranger, someone older, or more than one person, you should use the formal version: Excusez-moi.

Why does it use moi instead of me?

When you give a direct command in French (like telling someone to excuse you), the pronoun moves after the verb. When this happens, the word me changes to moi and attaches to the verb with a hyphen, giving us Excuse-moi.

How does the negative part of je ne comprends pas work?

To make a sentence negative in French, you put two words around the main verb: ne before it and pas after it. Here, the verb comprends (understand) is placed right in the middle to make ne comprends pas (do not understand).

Do I pronounce the "s" at the end of comprends and pas?

No, the final s is completely silent in both of these words. In French, many consonants at the very end of a word are not pronounced. You just stop speaking after the vowel sounds!