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excusa

eks-KOO-sahekˈsusa

excuse

Also: pretext, justification
NounfA1
A storybook illustration of a child standing next to a broken vase, nervously pointing at a small puppy as if blaming the pet for the accident.

📝 In Action

Su excusa para no venir fue que su perro estaba enfermo.

A1

His excuse for not coming was that his dog was sick.

No tengo ninguna buena excusa para mi error.

A1

I don't have any good excuse for my mistake.

Usó el tráfico como excusa para llegar tarde a la reunión.

B1

He used the traffic as a pretext for arriving late to the meeting.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • poner una excusa – to make an excuse
  • inventar una excusa – to invent an excuse

(He/She/It) excuses, (You formal) excuse

Also: forgives
VerbA2regular ar
A storybook illustration showing a kind adult smiling gently and raising a hand in a forgiving gesture towards a smaller figure who looks relieved.
infinitiveexcusar
gerundexcusando
past Participleexcusado

📝 In Action

Ella siempre excusa la mala conducta de su hijo.

A2

She always excuses her son's bad behavior.

Usted excusa a los demás, pero nunca se excusa a sí mismo.

B1

You excuse others, but you never excuse yourself.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • excusar a alguien – to excuse someone

Indicative

Present

yoexcuso
túexcusas
él/ella/ustedexcusa
nosotrosexcusamos
vosotrosexcusáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesexcusan

Imperfect

yoexcusaba
túexcusabas
él/ella/ustedexcusaba
nosotrosexcusábamos
vosotrosexcusabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesexcusaban

Preterite

yoexcusé
túexcusaste
él/ella/ustedexcusó
nosotrosexcusamos
vosotrosexcusasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesexcusaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yoexcuse
túexcuses
él/ella/ustedexcuse
nosotrosexcusamos
vosotrosexcuséis
ellos/ellas/ustedesexcusen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoexcusara / excusase
túexcusaras / excusases
él/ella/ustedexcusara / excusase
nosotrosexcusáramos / excusásemos
vosotrosexcusarais / excusaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedesexcusaran / excusasen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "excusa" in Spanish:

excuse→forgives→justification→pretext→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: excusa

Question 1 of 2

¿Cuál es la mejor traducción de 'Ella siempre tiene una excusa nueva'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
excusar(to excuse (verb)) — Verb
excusable(excusable) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *excusare*, meaning 'to free from a charge' or 'to release from a fault'. It has been used in Spanish since the Middle Ages.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: escusaItalian: scusa

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'excusa' a positive or negative word?

It is usually neutral, but it often carries a negative connotation, implying the reason given might be weak or false (a 'lame excuse').