извиниться/to excuse oneself

[slovami.livejournal.com]

Once in my journal I said "извиняюсь" (literally "I excuse myself") to mean "excuse me," and all the native Russian speakers replied in unison that this is a bad form that should never be used, because it doesn't make logical sense. (Not making logical sense is a poor reason for not using an expression, but that's irrelevant, I guess - the point is, "извиняюсь," much like "звОнит," is improper Russian, even though people use it in regular speech.)

Question, then: are all forms of the verb "извиниться" equally improper? Or just the first-person singular present tense is wrong? e.g. is it just as bad to say "он извинился", or is that ok?

Thanks, guys! And с праздником прошедшим! (Happy belated Thanksgiving!)

Comments

[merry1978.livejournal.com]

If you try to find this form anywhere in literature, from an educated person and in this exact meaning ("I am sorry"), you won't find it. Therefore, it IS by defifition colloqial and not quite proper.

Most older people find it strongly impolite.

[dr-cmok.livejournal.com]

Извиняюсь, but you're completely wrong. Take this:
(Ushakov's dictionary)

ИЗВИНЯ'ТЬСЯ, я́юсь, я́ешься, несов.

1. Несов. к извиниться.
2. Страд. к извинять.
3. 1 л. наст. вр. извиня́юсь употр. также в знач. извини, извините меня (простореч.). Извиняюсь, я опоздал.

PS and, please, don't speak for the "most (of) older people", for I can name a lot of older and very good educated people (including those with linguistic education) who find no shame in using simple Russian words.

[oryx_and_crake]

Exactly: re-read your quotation carefully, it says that using извиняюсь in the meaning of извините is "простореч." This means that anyone using this form comes across as an illiterate redneck who does not know better.

[temniy-mu.livejournal.com]

of course, he does know better, but... it's a bit of ironic sense in it, you know, and that's really quite colloquial.
don't you listen to anybody here who disses such a good word, be fairly confident to use it, if the situation doesn't refer to smh serious.
and 'zvOnit' has nothing common with all that at all ))

[slovami.livejournal.com]

Well, it has one thing in common, which is the reaction of educated Russians when they hear me say it. :)

[temniy-mu.livejournal.com]

they stiff-necks then ! (come on guys, find out in your dictionaries lol )

actually, извини/те well, it's reffering to a formal case, you know, when you knocked somebody down in moscow metro you would rather say 'извините' or 'извините пожалуйста', it's a sort of true apology meaning that you did smh really wrong, you've been boorish, you'd never do that again as you never got used to it. And, if you've been late, so being late is maybe typical of you, who knows, as in the exapmle.. so you might say извиняюсь, опоздал when you turn out to come to the meeting.