Lesson #25: スキューバダイビングをなさるんですか。始められたきっかけはなんですか。 (Sukyūba daibingu o nasaru n desu ka. Hajimerareta kikkake wa nan desu ka.)

Making small talk with a client

English Title: Making small talk with a client

Role-play Setup

You are in a meeting with a client. The formal part of the discussion is wrapping up, and you move into casual small talk to build rapport. You discover a shared interest in outdoor activities.

Full Script & Explanation

Wrapping Up Business

Wada (Salesman/Protagonist)

御社は技術力が高いので、ぜひ長いお付き合いをお願いしたいと思っております。
Onsha wa gijutsuryoku ga takai node, zehi nagai o-tsukiai o onegai shitai to omotte orimasu.
Your company has great technical expertise, so we’d like to work with you in the future.

「御社」is a polite way to say「あなたの会社」. The sentence「長いお付き合いをお願いしたいと思っております」means that the speaker wants to work with the listener’s company more in the future, and is thinking about the long term. This sentence politely expresses the speaker’s strong feelings. The phrase「ぜひ～したい」serves to emphasize the speaker’s wishes.

Marso (Client)

こちらこそ、よろしくお願いいたします。
Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
We look forward to working with you as well.

This is a response to the previous remark. The phrase clearly shows that the current speaker shares the same wish to work together in the future.

An Interruption

Marso

すみません、急に呼び出されまして。
Sumimasen, kyū ni yobidasaremashite.
I’m sorry, I’ve just been called out.

The speaker is explaining the situation and making an apology for receiving a phone call during the meeting. An apology comes first, then an explanation. The conjugation「まして」is used to cut the sentence off midway. In this case, 「この後席を外さなければなりませんが、お許しくださいますか」(Please excuse me for a moment.) would follow.

Marso

10分ほどお待ちいただけますか。
Juppun hodo omachi itadakemasu ka.
Would you mind waiting about ten minutes?

「10分ほど」is a more polite way to say「10分ぐらい」. The phrase「お待ちいただけますか」uses「お待ちください」and the request form（～いただけますか）to be more polite.

Wada

わかりました。
Wakarimashita.
Sure.

Wada

あちらでコーヒー、いかがですか。
Achira de kōhī, ikaga desu ka.
Would you like to have some coffee?

The speaker offers their guest some coffee while they wait. The word「あちら」is a more polite form of「あそこ」. The phrase「コーヒー、いかがですか」omits the 「は」. To be more casual, use 「あそこでコーヒー、どうですか」.

Marso

はい、ありがとうございます。
Hai, arigatō gozaimasu.
Yes, please.

Making Small Talk

Wada

マルソーさん、休日はどんなところに行かれますか。
Marusō-san, kyūjitsu wa donna tokoro ni ikaremasu ka.
Marso-san, where do you like to go on weekends?

To break the ice, the speaker uses the listener’s name before asking their question. It’s a fairly safe conversational choice to ask about weekend hobbies, so it’s a good choice for friendly, casual conversation. The phrase「行かれますか」is a respectful form of「行きますか」. It has the same construction as the passive form. You can judge whether it is being used as passive form or respectful form by considering the context.

Marso

週末はよく湖に行きます。
Shūmatsu wa yoku mizūmi ni ikimasu.
I often go to the lake on weekends.

「よく」means that you do something a lot. Using the phrase「週末はよく○○します」is a way to explain what one usually does on weekends.

Marso

釣りが好きなんです。
Tsuri ga suki nan desu.
I like to fish.

After explaining that he goes to the lake on weekends, the speaker explains it’s because he likes fishing, and adds 「んです」on the end to add emphasis. By responding to questions, and adding reasons or explanations, the conversation flows more smoothly.

Wada

釣りですか。いいですね。
Tsuri desu ka. Ii desu ne.
Fishing? That’s great.

The speaker is showing that they are following along by saying「いいですね」. But based on their tone of voice, we can tell that they may not actually be interested.

Marso

和田さんは、何していらっしゃるんですか。
Wada-san wa, nani shite irassharu n desu ka.
Wada-san, what do you like to do?

Now, the speaker is taking their turn to ask about the listener’s weekend habits. Instead of saying「（休日は）何をしていますか」, the speaker uses いらっしゃる to show respect. Though maintaining a respectful tone, the speaker adds「んですか」for emphasis and to show their interest in the response. This will contribute to greater closeness between the two.

Wada

私はスキューバダイビングによく行くんです。
Watashi wa sukyūba daibingu ni yoku iku n desu.
I often go scuba diving.

The speaker uses 「よく行くんです」rather than「よく行きます」in this case. By adding in「んです」based on the situation, the two can bridge the gap between them.

KEY PHRASE

Marso

スキューバダイビングをなさるんですか。始められたきっかけはなんですか。
Sukyūba daibingu o nasaru n desu ka. Hajimerareta kikkake wa nan desu ka.
You do scuba diving? How did you first start?

The phrase「スキューバダイビングをなさるんですか」repeats part of what the previous speaker just said （スキューバダイビング）, and uses polite language to form a question. This creates the impression that the speaker wants to know more details. The word「なさる」is a respectful form of「する」. After phrases ending in「～なさるんですか」, the speaker can add on lots of different questions. The word「きっかけ」(chance, opportunity, occasion) is being used to ask about how the listener started their hobby, scuba diving. Asking in this way shows the listener that you are interested in, and gives them something concrete to talk about. Rather than asking「なんで始めたんですか」(Why did you start?), it’s more polite (and appropriate for a business conversation) to ask in this way.

Wada

妻が学生時代から好きで、私も始めたら楽しくて…。
Tsuma ga gakusei-jidai kara suki de, watashi mo hajimetara tanoshikute…
My wife has been doing it since she was a student. She introduced me to it, and I found it really fun.

The second sentence trails off, but if it didn’t, we can assume it might say:「私も始めたら楽しくて（休日にダイビングをするようになりました）」. Talking about how one started hobbies in this way is relatively personal, so it’s a good way to build trust between two people.

Marso

海の中、気持ちいいですよ。
Umi no naka, kimochi ii desu yo.
It feels great to be underwater.

The speaker is sharing their feelings about scuba diving. By expressing your feelings or opinions in this way, one can help the conversation to flow better.

Marso

いいですね。ぜひ私も一度やってみたいです。
Ii desu ne. Zehi watashi mo ichido yatte mitai desu.
That sounds great. I’d love to try it sometime.

The speaker expresses agreement with「いいですね」. The phrase「ぜひ一度やってみたい」shows that the speaker is interested in the listener’s hobby.

Vocabulary

御社 (onsha) - your company
The word「御社」refers to the listener’s (“your”) company. It’s a polite word that is often used in the business scene in spoken language. When writing, 「貴社」is often used. When referring to your own company, you can use 「当社」or「弊社」. The word 当社 is used when your company and the listener’s company are on equal footing. When your company is in a more humble position, use 「弊社」. When talking to other members of your own company, don’t use 「弊社」. Instead, use「当社」or「我が社」. In more casual situations, you can use 「うちの会社」.
Example: 御社の新製品 (your company’s new product)
Example: 御社のホームページを拝見しました。(I saw your company’s website.)

技術力 (gijutsu-ryoku) - technical skill/expertise
The phrase「技術力がある」 refers to established or very high technical expertise. The 「力」in this word is the same as that in 「能力」and「実力」, and can mean “skill.” You can form many words like this by adding 「力」onto the end.
Example: 技術力に定評があると伺っております。(I’ve heard you’re well-known for your technical skills.)
Example: 技術力が強化されたことで、今期の売り上げにつながった。(Thanks to our growing technical expertise, our sales for this quarter are up.)
Other Examples: 生産力 (productivity), 開発力 (development skills), 競争力 (competitiveness), 営業力 (sales skills), 交渉力 (negotiations skills), 創造力 (creativity), コミュニケーション力 (communications skills), 語彙力 (vocabulary skills)

Kanji

作 - make, production
Reading: さく (saku) / つく (tsuku)
Example: 昨 (saku - yesterday [NOTE: this kanji is different though same reading, lesson seems to want to point out ‘creation/work’]), 製作 (seisaku - production), 作業 (sagyō - work), 作る (tsukuru - to make)

Keigo

いう (iu) - to say Respectful: おっしゃる (ossharu) Humble: 申す (mōsu)