My husband's boss who is mexican came over to bring my daughter a birthday present. He was sitting outside with my husband chitchatting. I accepted the gift and said "muchísimas gracias". Then I said, "con permiso, voy a pasar" inside my own house because I had my arms loaded with grocery items since I had just got back home from the store. I didn't want to be rude and just walk off ending the conversation, so I politely said, "con permiso" hoping to be excused from the conversation as usually proper etiquete for a woman is to not tarry when men are having their conversations. So I went inside and put away my groceries and did not go back outside. Was it wrong to say "con permiso" in this context? Or the fact that I said "con permiso" to enter my own house? And then he said "ya me voy" so did I make him feel rushed off by saying, "con permiso"?
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This is not a question about Spanish but about manners.– LambieCommented 8 hours ago
4 Answers
In that context, I understand "con permiso" to mean that you are excusing yourself from the mexican boss, not asking for permission to enter the house. It sounds fine to me.
That was a perfectly fitting phrase to pronounce in that context. It's irrelevant that you were entering your own house. All you did was politely acknowledge their conversation meeting and excuse yourself for bypassing them with minimal disruption.
His saying "ya me voy" [I'm about to leave] has nothing to do with any incorrectness of your phrase, only his communication of the brevity of his staying, to alleviate your sense of guilt for the (needed) interruption
See
con permiso
- exprs. U. como fórmulas de cortesía para pedir autorización para entrar o salir de un lugar, hacer uso de algo, etc.
expres. U. as courtesy formulas to request authorization to enter or leave a place, use something, etc.
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"Con permiso" is used to mean that you are taking the other person's permission (to come in, to go out) for granted.
If you say "permiso" (excuse me), it might be formulaic and you don't expect an answer, or you might expect the other person's permission:
A. Permiso. (Excuse me) B. Adelante. (Go ahead)
With "con permiso" you assume the other person's reply will be positive.
You are not asking permission to enter or leave your house, but to leave or abandon the conversation. It's a normal phrase in this situation and does not imply any second reading unless it's accompanied by a negative gesture.
