Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Com licença, senhora!

Com licença, senhora!

Excuse me, madam!

Breakdown of Com licença, senhora!

a senhora

the lady / you (formal, f)

com licença

excuse me (may I pass)

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Questions & Answers about Com licença, senhora!

Why do we say 'Com licença' instead of 'Desculpe' for 'Excuse me' here?

In English, we use 'Excuse me' for many things. In Portuguese, com licença literally means 'with permission'. You use it when asking to enter a room, pass by someone, or politely get someone's attention. If you accidentally bump into someone or need to apologize, you would use desculpe instead.

Why is there no 'a' before 'senhora'? I thought it was usually 'a senhora'.

When you are talking directly to someone to get their attention, you just use the title by itself, like senhora (madam) or senhor (sir). You only add the word for 'the' (a or o) when you are talking about them or using it as a formal 'you' within a full sentence.

What does the little hook under the 'c' in 'licença' do?

That mark is called a cedilla (cedilha). It changes a 'c' that is followed by an 'a', 'o', or 'u' so that it makes a soft 's' sound instead of a hard 'k' sound. Without it, the end of licença would sound like 'kah'.

How would I use the verb 'poder' (can/may) with this phrase to ask if I can come in?

Com licença is very often followed by a question with poder. To ask 'May I come in?', you would say Com licença, posso entrar? Here, posso is the 'I' form of poder, followed by the infinitive verb entrar (to enter).