Lesson 34: Asking for instant guidance

お時間はとらせません。至急判断をお願いします。

English: I won’t take much of your time. I need your guidance right now.

Role-play Setup

You work as a guard at a construction site. Two trucks will be arriving shortly. You need to ask the foreman which truck should be let in first.

Dialogue

Scene 1: Getting Instructions

Coworker (同僚):
このあと資材搬入のトラックが２台来るそうです。
Kono ato shizai-han-nyuu no torakku ga ni-dai kuru soodesu.
Two trucks with supplies are coming soon.

Grammar Note: Relay information that you have heard using 「そうです」. Here, 「資材」refers to building materials to be used at this construction site. 「搬入」is “delivery,” or “bringing in.” 「トラック」is the Japanese version of the English word “truck.”

Coworker:
AとB、どちらを先に中に通すか、監督に確認してください。
A to B, dochira o saki ni naka ni toosu ka, kantoku ni kakunin-shite kudasai.
Ask the foreman which truck should go in first: A or B.

Grammar Note: 「監督」is the foreman, or the leader of this jobsite. In this scenario, he’s the one who makes the important decisions. Here, the following two sentences are being combined into one: 「AとBのどちらを先に中に通しますか。」and「監督に確認してください。」When combining sentences in this way, don’t use 「です」or「ます」in the first part.

Student:
分かりました。
Wakarimashita.
Got it.

Scene 2: The Foreman is Busy

Worker (作業員):
すみません、僕のミスです。
Sumimasen, boku no misu desu.
I’m sorry. It was my mistake.

Grammar Note: 「ミス」comes from the English word “mistake.” 「僕のミスです。」means「僕が間違えました。」, or “I made a mistake.” In some cases, you can describe how you messed up by adding a noun before 「ミス」. For example, a 計算 (math) mistake would become 「計算ミス」.

Foreman (監督):
しっかり見て！図面にちゃんと書いてあるだろう？
Shikkari mite! Zumen ni chanto kaite aru daroo?
Look more closely! It’s in the blueprints!

Grammar Note: 「よく見て。」could also be used here instead of「しっかり見て。」To phrase「書いてあるだろう。」more politely, you could use 「書いてあるでしょう。」. Here, the foreman is scolding a subordinate, so he is speaking casually. The 「だろう」at the end of the phrase is used with a rising intonation to serve as a confirmation.

Worker:
僕が見落としていました。本当にすみません。
Boku ga miotoshite imashita. Hontooni sumimasen.
I didn’t see it. I’m so sorry.

Grammar Note: 「見落とす」is used to describe overlooking something written in a document or shown on a blueprint. 「ていました」is used to describe something that happened in the past and continued until a later time. The subordinate overlooked something when they first checked the blueprints. They continued to overlook it until the foreman brought it to their attention.

Student:
すみません、監督。確認したいことがありまして…。
Sumimasen, kantoku. Kakunin-shitai koto ga arimashite…
Excuse me, Foreman. I need to ask you something…

Grammar Note: When starting a conversation with a superior, use 「あの、すみませんが、今、少しよろしいでしょうか。」The speaker is in a hurry, so they use a slightly shortened version. They use 「確認したいことがありまして…。」, hoping that the listener will understand their situation.

Foreman:
ちょっと今、取り込み中。待ってください。
Chotto ima, torikomi-chuu. Matte kudasai.
I’m in the middle of something. You need to wait.

Grammar Note: The speaker is in the middle of dealing with a problem. This situation can be described as 「取り込んでいる」or「取り込み中」. In this case, the foreman is dealing with the subordinate’s mistake.

Student:
はい、分かりました。
Hai, wakarimashita.
Yes, sir.

Scene 3: Urgent Situation

Coworker:
マクニさん、あと１分でトラックが到着するそうです。
Makuni-san, ato ippun de torakku ga toochaku-suru soodesu.
Makni-san, the trucks will be here in one minute.

Grammar Note: 「到着する」is used to describe people, goods, or vehicles arriving. Putting the most important information at the beginning of a sentence can be a good idea. Here, the speaker puts 「あと1分で」first because it is the most important part of the message.

Coworker:
すぐに順番を確認してください。
Sugu ni junban o kakunin-shite kudasai.
What’s the order?

Student:
分かりました。
Wakarimashita.
I got it.

Student:
監督、すみません。
Kantoku, sumimasen.
Foreman, excuse me.

Cultural Note: In Japanese, people often call each other by a job title instead of a name. This is especially true for a company job title. 社長, 課長 are often used instead of a person’s name.
Examples:

「社長、すみません。」(Excuse me, President.)

「課長、ご相談したいことがあります。」(Section Leader, I need to ask you something.)

Foreman:
ちょっと待って。
Chotto matte.
Not now.

🔑 KEY PHRASE

Student:
お時間はとらせません。至急判断をお願いします。
Ojikan wa torasemasen. Shikyuu handan o onegai-shimasu.
I won’t take much of your time. I need your guidance right now.

Explanation:
「至急」means「とても急ぐ」, or ASAP.

When the listener is busy, the speaker must let them know that they just need a moment of their time. The phrase 「お時間はとらせません。」tells them just that.

「お」is added before「時間」to be polite, as it is someone else’s time, not your own.

「とらせます」is the causative form of「とります」. Using 「お時間をとらせて申し訳ありません。」rather than「お時間をとって申し訳ありません。」creates the impression that you are very sorry to have taken their time.

Conclusion

Foreman:
急ぐんですね。
Isogu n desu ne.
You’re in a hurry?

Student:
搬入のトラックはAとB、どちらを先に入れますか。
Han-nyuu no torakku wa A to B, dochira o saki ni iremasu ka.
Two trucks are coming. I need to check whether A or B is first.

Grammar Note: 「どちら」is a polite form of「どっち」. Here, the speaker is expressing「搬入のためのトラックAとトラックB、どちらを先に現場に入れますか。」in a short, to-the-point way, because both the speaker and the listener are aware of the background information.

Foreman:
あー、木材が先に必要だから、Aを先に通してください。
Aa, mokuzai ga saki ni hitsuyoo dakara, A o saki ni tooshite kudasai.
We need the lumber sooner, so let A through first.

Grammar Note: 「あー」is an expression used when thinking. 「えーっと」can be used in the same way. However, 「あのー」is used when trying to recall something. Here, the speaker is considering which truck should come in first.

Student:
ありがとうございます。
Arigatoo gozaimasu.
Thank you.

Kanji

受ける (ukeru) - to receive

Words from this Dialogue

搬入 (han-nyuu) - deliver, bring in

「搬入」is being used here to describe the delivery of large, heavy materials to be used in construction. 「搬出」has the opposite meaning: to take away.

「搬入」can be combined with other words, too:

「搬入する時間」→「搬入時間」(delivery time)
「搬入する場所」→「搬入場所」(delivery location)
「資材を搬入する」→「資材搬入」(materials for delivery)
「搬入についての計画」→「搬入計画」(delivery plan)

見落とす (miotosu) - overlook

「見落とす」is a combination of two words,「見ます」and「落とします」. It means「見たときに気がつかなかった」, or that when you looked, you didn’t notice. You can use this word to show regret about having overlooked something.

You can make「見落とす」into a noun: 「見落とし」.

When you want someone to read something thoroughly, say:

「見落とさないようによく読んでください。」
「見落としがないかよく見てください。」

Examples:

申し訳ありません。いただいたメールを見落としておりました。
Mooshiwake arimasen. Itadaita meeru o miotoshite orimashita.
I’m very sorry. I overlooked your email.
誤字を見落とさないように、複数の人で資料を確認した。
Goji o miotosanai yooni, fukusuu no hito de shiryoo o kakunin-shita.
To prevent any typos, multiple people checked over the documents.

取り込み中 (torikomi-chuu) - in the middle of something

「取り込んでいる」is used when someone is busy tackling a problem. 「取り込み」is a noun form of「取り込む」.

「中」is used to mean that you are in the middle of something:

「会議中」- in the middle of a meeting
「外出中」- out of the home or office
「食事中」- in the middle of a meal

If you need to speak up when someone is in the middle of something, use:

「取り込み中に悪いんだけど…」(to equals/subordinates)
「お取り込み中に申し訳ありませんが…」(to superiors)

Examples:

（受付で）申し訳ありません。社長は今取り込み中でして…。
(At reception) I’m sorry. The president is in the middle of something right now.
（部下に）取り込み中に悪いんだけど、後で席に来てくれる？
(To a subordinate) Sorry to interrupt, but can you come by my desk later?

Practice Points

Using 至急 (shikyuu) - ASAP, urgently
Causative form with お時間をとらせる - polite expression of taking someone’s time
Combining questions - 「どちらを先に～か、～に確認してください」
Job titles as address terms - 監督, 社長, 課長

Source: NHK WORLD-JAPAN “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson 34
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit34.html