〜はちょっと…~ wa chotto...
Wa chotto... (〜はちょっと…) means “soft, indirect refusal”.
Sunday is a bit difficult...
Use 「〜はちょっと…」 to gently decline a specific day or food while leaving the refusal implied.
In the course
How it works
When you receive an invitation but it is inconvenient, you can decline gently like this. Look at her reply in the picture.
Put the day that does not work for you, or the food you do not want, before 「は」, then add 「ちょっと…」.
Stop at 「ちょっと…」 and leave the refusal unsaid. The other person can still understand what you mean.
Pause briefly at 「ちょっと…」 and use a gentle tone to make your refusal sound softer.
In the example, 「日曜日は」 only says that Sunday does not work. It does not necessarily turn down an invitation for another day.
「肉はちょっと…」 politely declines eating meat. It does not mean that you only want a little meat.
Example sentences
- 日曜nichiyou日biはwaちょっと、、、chotto
Sunday is a bit difficult...
- 肉nikuはwaちょっと、、、chotto
Meat is a bit... (I'd rather not)
In a conversation
- Aカレーを食べに行きませんか。
A: Would you like to go out for curry?
- Bカレーはちょっと、、、蕎麦はどうです
Check yourself
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
Curry is a bit... how about soba?
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
肉の料理はどうですか。
Fish is a bit... How about a meat dish?
More grammar in this theme
- 〜はちょっと…soft, indirect refusal
