Jen: Why are you taking my cell phone?
Jason: Oh! I’m sorry. I beg your pardon. I thought it was mine.
Jen: I beg you pardon?
Jason: I just said I thought it was mine. Sorry about that. It was an accident.
Jen: Oh, okay.

In today’s conversation there are two different ways the phrase “I beg your pardon” are used.

본문에서 제가 Jason에게 “왜 내 핸드폰을 가져가니? Why are you taking my cell phone?”라고 하자 Jason은 “Oh! I’m sorry. I beg your pardon. I thought it was mine. 오! 미안해. 내 건 줄 알았어.”라고 사과했습니다.

제가 Jason의 대답을 잘 못 들어서, 다시 말해달라고 했습니다. “I beg you pardon? 뭐라고?” 라고요. 그러자 Jason이 다시 “I just said I thought it was mine. Sorry about that. It was an accident. 내 건 줄 알아서 그랬다고. 미안해. 모르고 그랬어.”라고 말했습니다.

Now keep today’s expression ‘I beg your pardon’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jen: Why are you taking my cell phone?
Jason: Oh! I’m sorry. I beg your pardon. I thought it was mine.
Jen: I beg you pardon?
Jason: I just said I thought it was mine. Sorry about that. It was an accident.
Jen: Oh, okay.

Today’s expression is I beg your pardon. ‘pardon’은 ‘용서’, ‘beg’은 ‘빌다’는 뜻이니까, 직역하면 “당신의 용서를 구합니다”라는 뜻이 되죠.

You can use this phrase when you express polite apology. “I beg your pardon"은 이렇게 자신의 말이나 행동에 대해 사과할 때 쓰는 표현입니다. 또 상대방의 말을 잘 못 알아들어서 다시 한 번 말해 달라고 할 때도 쓸 수 있습니다.

"I beg your pardon?"처럼 말이죠. 이럴 땐 '미안하지만 잘 못 들었는데 뭐라고요?'라는 뜻입니다. 비슷한 표현인 'Excuse me'도 두 가지 경우에 다 쓸 수 있습니다.

그럼 예문을 통해 오늘 표현을 좀 더 자세히 알아보겠습니다. “I beg your pardon but can you say that again?”라는 문장을 해석하면 “미안하지만 잘 못 들었는데 다시 말해줄 수 있나요?”라는 뜻입니다.

Here is another example sentence. “I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”는 “미안해. 방해하려는 건 아니었어.”로 해석할 수 있습니다. Now let’s listen to the conversation for the last time.

Jen: Why are you taking my cell phone?
Jason: Oh! I’m sorry. I beg your pardon. I thought it was mine.
Jen: I beg you pardon?
Jason: I just said I thought it was mine. Sorry about that. It was an accident.
Jen: Oh, okay.

Let’s review! ‘I beg your pardon’ is a common expression that is used to express a polite apology. I BEG YOUR PARDON.