Hello everyone. I am in Merida, Mexico, and I often hear people saying "permiso" when passing others on a sidewalk. Occasionally though, people will say "permisa". I can't seem to find any reference to a feminine version. Can someone please clarify? Thanks in advance! :)
Con permiso/permisa?
kkuls67-gmail-com
February 11, 2020
Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor
February 16, 2020
¡Hola kkuls67-gmail-com!
Thank you for your question!
This is a bit of a puzzle, as permiso is short for con permiso "excuse me," which literally means "with permission." Because permiso is a noun and not an adjective used to describe something, there isn't a feminine version. It is possible that this could be some sort of regionalism that has developed, but our team is not able to find any reference to it and has not heard of it. It is also possible that this could be a pronunciation matter and some people might say the word permiso in a somewhat clipped way, so that the -o ending sounds like it could be an -a ending - but this is just speculation.
Unfortunately, in this case, the only way to solve the mystery may be to ask someone from the region about it!
My apologies that I could not provide a more concrete answer for you! Perhaps someone else in our forum has been to the area and has learned something about the use of permiso that would help?
Saludos,
Liss
Thank you for your question!
This is a bit of a puzzle, as permiso is short for con permiso "excuse me," which literally means "with permission." Because permiso is a noun and not an adjective used to describe something, there isn't a feminine version. It is possible that this could be some sort of regionalism that has developed, but our team is not able to find any reference to it and has not heard of it. It is also possible that this could be a pronunciation matter and some people might say the word permiso in a somewhat clipped way, so that the -o ending sounds like it could be an -a ending - but this is just speculation.
Unfortunately, in this case, the only way to solve the mystery may be to ask someone from the region about it!
My apologies that I could not provide a more concrete answer for you! Perhaps someone else in our forum has been to the area and has learned something about the use of permiso that would help?
Saludos,
Liss