What it means
معذرت میخواهم (mazerat mikhâham) means “I ask for excuse” and is the most formal way to say “I apologize” or “I beg your pardon” in Persian. The noun معذرت (mazerat) is borrowed from Arabic (معذرة, ma’dhira), meaning excuse or pardon. The verb میخواهم (mikhâham) is native Persian, the first-person singular present of خواستن (khâstan), meaning “I want” or “I ask for.” Together they make a compound verb meaning “I seek your pardon.” A lighter, more colloquial alternative is ببخشید (bebakhshid), which is closer to “sorry” or “excuse me” in everyday spoken Persian.
How to use it
- معذرت میخواهم، دیر رسیدم. (mazerat mikhâham, dir residam.) “I apologize, I arrived late.”
- معذرت میخواهم که مزاحم شدم. (mazerat mikhâham ke mozâhem shodam.) “I beg your pardon for disturbing you.”
- اگر اشتباهی کردم، معذرت میخواهم. (agar eshtebâhi kardam, mazerat mikhâham.) “If I made a mistake, I sincerely apologize.”
- معذرت میخوام، میتونم یه سوال بپرسم؟ (mazerat mikhâm, mitoonam ye so’âl beporsam?) “Excuse me, may I ask a question?”
Cultural note
معذرت میخواهم is considered more sincere and more deferential than ببخشید: it is the apology you reach for in a formal meeting, in a letter, or when the mistake is genuinely serious. In everyday street conversation most Iranians prefer ببخشید, which is faster and less weighty. Using معذرت میخواهم in an informal setting can actually signal the seriousness of a situation, so Iranians will notice the register shift. The spoken short form معذرت میخوام (mazerat mikhâm) drops the unstressed vowel and is common in natural speech without losing formality.