Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Estimados acionistas, queremos pedir desculpa. - Esteemed shareholders, we want to apologize.

This lesson is about dropping "que" before the subjunctive. How could we rewrite this sentence to use that structure if we wanted to say "we ask that you excuse us"?

To say "we ask that you excuse us", you would normally use the subjunctive: pedimos que nos desculpem. In highly formal corporate writing like this, you can apply the lesson's rule and drop the que, resulting in the very formal phrase pedimos nos desculpem.

Why is it pedir desculpa in the singular? Wouldn't pedir desculpas make sense too?

In European Portuguese, the standard fixed expression for "to apologize" is pedir desculpa in the singular. You might occasionally hear the plural pedir desculpas, but it is far more common in Brazilian Portuguese; sticking to the singular sounds much more natural in Portugal.

What is the difference between starting this announcement with Estimados instead of Caros?

Both translate to "Dear", but Estimados is significantly more formal and expresses a higher degree of professional respect. It is the go-to greeting for official corporate communications, whereas Caros is better suited for internal emails among familiar colleagues.

I've seen older texts spell this word as "accionistas". Why is there no double "c" here?