Politely discussing a disappointing restaurant dish | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. すみません、魚についてお聞きしてもよろしいですか。少し乾いています。

   Excuse me, could I ask about the fish? It is a bit dry.

   すみません

   Excuse me

   魚

   fish

   について

   about; concerning

   お聞きしてもよろしいですか

   May I ask?

   少し

   a little

   乾いています

   is dry

   More detail

   すみません is a conventional apology or attention-getter. Here it means “Excuse me,” used to address someone politely before making a request. It can also mean “I’m sorry” in other situations. 魚 means “fish.” The noun itself does not show whether the fish is one item or more than one; the context and wording determine that. Example: 魚を食べます。 — “I eat fish.” について means “about” or “concerning.” It follows a noun or noun phrase to mark the topic being discussed: 魚について = “about the fish.” This is a topic expression, not a word meaning “fish” itself. Example: 仕事について話します。 — “I talk about work.” お聞きしてもよろしいですか is a very polite way to ask permission to ask something. The useful pattern is お + verb stem + してもよろしいですか, meaning “May I …?” Here, お聞きする is the polite humble form used for “ask” in this context, and 聞く is the base verb. しても presents the action as something for which permission is requested; よろしいですか asks whether it is acceptable. Example: お名前をお聞きしてもよろしいですか。 — “May I ask your name?” 少し means “a little” or “slightly.” It limits the degree of the following description. Example: 少し暑いです。 — “It is a little hot.” 乾いています means “is dry” here. The base verb is 乾く, “to become dry” or “to dry”; 乾いています uses the -ている form and describes the resulting state: the fish is in a dry condition. The form is polite because of ます. This is different from 乾かしています, which means that someone is drying something. Example: シャツが乾いています。 — “The shirt is dry.” Together, すみません、魚について politely opens the interaction and identifies the topic as the fish. お聞きしてもよろしいですか asks permission to ask about it. The next sentence, 少し乾いています, says that it is slightly dry. Thus the utterance means: “Excuse me, could I ask about the fish? It is a bit dry.”

2. 申し訳ありません。厨房に確認します。

   I'm sorry about that. I'll check with the kitchen.

   申し訳ありません

   I'm sorry

   厨房

   kitchen

   確認します

   will check

   More detail

   申し訳ありません is a formal, polite apology meaning “I’m sorry” here. The expression is built on 申し訳ない, literally conveying that there is no excuse; ありません is the polite negative form used in this fixed apology. A less formal apology is すみません, while 申し訳ありません is especially suitable when acknowledging responsibility or inconvenience. 厨房 means “kitchen” here, specifically the kitchen or kitchen staff in a food-service setting. It is a professional term; 台所 more often refers to a household kitchen. In this sentence, 厨房に marks the party or place the speaker will contact/check with, giving the intended meaning “with the kitchen.” 確認します means “will check” in this context. Its base form is 確認する (“to check” or “to confirm”), and します is its polite nonpast form. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a future action, so here it naturally means that the speaker will check. For example, 予定を確認します。 means “I’ll check the schedule.” Together, the utterance is a polite apology followed by a commitment to check with the kitchen: “I’m sorry about that. I’ll check with the kitchen.”

3. 味はいいですが、食感が思っていたものと違います。

   The flavor is nice, but the texture is not what I expected.

   味

   flavor; taste

   いい

   good; nice

   ですが

   but

   食感

   texture

   思っていた

   expected

   もの

   thing; what

   違います

   is different; differs

   More detail

   味 means “flavor” or “taste.” It is a noun. A useful related noun is 食感, “texture,” which appears later in this sentence; these describe different aspects of food. いい means “good” or “nice” here. It is the present form of the adjective いい (“good”), whose past form is よかった (“was good”). In this sentence, 味はいい means “the flavor is nice.” ですが connects this favorable statement to a contrast: “but.” It is a polite connective form of です plus が. The pattern Aですが、B presents A and then adds contrasting information B. Here, it does not change the meaning of the preceding adjective; it links the two assessments. 食感 is the noun “texture,” especially the feel of food when eating it. The topic marker が after it marks texture as the element described by what follows: 食感が違います means “the texture is different.” 思っていた comes from 思う, “to think.” The form 思っていた describes an earlier expectation or belief that was held: literally, “had been thinking/expecting.” In this sentence, it refers to what the speaker had expected, not simply to a current act of thinking. The pattern 思っていたもの means “the thing or result that [someone] had expected.” もの is a noun meaning “thing.” In 思っていたもの, it refers broadly to the expected result or quality, and the preceding clause describes which thing is meant. This is a reusable pattern: 想像していたもの means “what [someone] had imagined.” 違います comes from 違う, “to differ” or “to be unlike.” 違います is its polite nonpast form. With Aと違います, the と-phrase gives the standard of comparison: 思っていたものと違います means “it differs from what [the speaker] had expected.” The polite form does not by itself specify past or future time; here, the comparison describes the current texture. Together, 味はいいですが says “the flavor is nice, but,” and 食感が思っていたものと違います says “the texture differs from what I had expected.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The flavor is nice, but the texture is not what I expected.”

4. 少しソースを別にいただけると、助かるかもしれません。

   A little sauce on the side might help.

   少し

   a little

   ソース

   sauce

   別に

   separately; on the side

   いただけると

   if you could provide it

   助かる

   would help

   かもしれません

   might; may

   More detail

   少し means “a little” here and describes the amount of ソース. It does not state an exact number of servings or containers. Quantity expressions can occur before the noun: 少しのソース means “a little sauce.” Example: 少し水をください。 — “Please give me a little water.” ソース is the noun “sauce,” written as a loanword. Here it is the item the speaker is asking to receive. 別に is an adverb meaning “separately” here, so the sauce is requested apart from the main food: “on the side.” This is different from the negative-emphasis use in 別に欲しくない — “I do not particularly want it.” いただけると contains the potential form いただける of the verb いただく, whose basic meaning is “receive.” In this request, the understood speaker would receive the sauce from the addressee, so ソースを別にいただけると means “if I could receive the sauce separately” or, naturally in English, “if you could provide the sauce on the side.” The と marks the condition “if.” This is not the 〜ていただく construction: the source has no て after いただける. 助かる is an intransitive verb meaning “be helped” or “be helpful.” In 〜と助かる, the result of the condition is presented as helpful to the speaker: “it would help.” Example: 手伝ってくれると助かります。 — “It would help if you could help me.” かもしれません is a polite possibility expression meaning “might” or “may.” Its plain counterpart is かもしれない. Here it makes the claim tentative: the requested sauce might help, rather than certainly helping. Together, 少しソースを別に specifies a small amount of sauce separately, いただけると presents receiving it as the condition, and 助かるかもしれません says that this might be helpful. The whole utterance means: “A little sauce on the side might help.”

5. お持ちしましょうか。

   Would you like me to bring some?

   お持ち

   bring; carry

   しましょうか

   shall I ...?

   More detail

   お持ち means “bring” here, in the polite humble expression お持ちする. Its underlying verb is 持つ, “to hold” or “carry”; in this utterance, the context and fixed translation give the intended meaning “bring [some sauce].” The お持ちする pattern presents the speaker’s action humbly toward the other person. The object is understood rather than stated. しましょうか asks whether the speaker should do something. しましょう is the polite volitional form of する, and か turns it into a question: “shall I …?” In お持ちしましょうか, する completes the humble お持ちする expression, rather than adding a separate action. Together, お持ちしましょうか。 is a polite offer: “Would you like me to bring some?” The omitted object is understood from the surrounding exchange as sauce; the sentence itself does not state a quantity. The form is useful for offering to perform an action politely: お手伝いしましょうか。 means “Shall I help?”

6. あまり重くないソースなら、助かります。

   That would help, as long as it is not too heavy.

   あまり重くない

   not too heavy

   ソース

   sauce

   なら

   if; when it is

   助かります

   that would help

   More detail

   あまり重くない describes something as “not too heavy.” The adjective is 重い (“heavy”); its adverbial form is 重く, and negation adds ない: 重い → 重くない. あまり commonly combines with a negative expression to mean “not very” or “not too.” Example: あまり辛くない料理 means “a dish that is not too spicy.” ソース is the noun “sauce,” written in katakana. Here it is the noun modified by あまり重くない, so the whole noun phrase means “a sauce that is not too heavy.” なら marks a condition or premise. It follows the noun phrase あまり重くないソース and gives the pattern Xなら、Y — “if it is X, Y” or “as for X, Y.” Example: 静かな店なら、行きたいです。 means “If it is a quiet restaurant, I would like to go.” 助かります is the polite nonpast form of 助かる. In this context, 助かる means “to be helped” or “to be useful,” not literally only “to survive.” The polite form 助かります presents the benefit courteously; with the condition before it, “that would help” is the natural meaning. Together, あまり重くないソースなら、助かります。 means “If it is a sauce that is not too heavy, that would help.” The first part sets the preferred condition for the sauce, and 助かります politely says that meeting this condition would be helpful.

7. 小皿に入れたソースをお持ちして、厨房にも伝えます。

   I can bring a small dish of sauce and let the kitchen know.

   小皿

   small dish

   入れた

   put in

   ソース

   sauce

   お持ちして

   bring and

   厨房にも

   to the kitchen as well

   伝えます

   let know

   More detail

   小皿 means a small dish or small plate. The kanji 小 means “small,” and 皿 means “dish/plate.” Here it is the container for the sauce, but the phrase itself does not include the following particle に. 入れた is the past form of 入れる, “to put in” or “to place in.” Before a noun, this form makes a relative clause: 小皿に入れたソース means “the sauce that was put in a small dish.” The form describes the sauce’s placement; it does not by itself identify who put it there. Example: 箱に入れた本 — “the book put in the box.” ソース is “sauce.” In the sentence, it is the noun modified by 小皿に入れた, giving “sauce put in a small dish,” naturally “a small dish of sauce” in the fixed translation. お持ちして comes from the respectful humble expression お持ちする, used here for “bring” or “carry” toward the listener or another relevant recipient. Its て form connects this action to the next one: お持ちして、伝えます means “bring it and let [someone] know.” The て form links actions; it does not by itself mark the overall time as past. 厨房にも contains 厨房, “kitchen,” followed by に, which marks the destination or target, and も, “also/as well.” Thus it means “to the kitchen as well.” The も shows that informing the kitchen is an additional action alongside bringing the sauce. 伝えます is the polite nonpast form of 伝える, “to tell,” “to convey,” or “to inform.” In this sentence, the intended meaning is “let the kitchen know.” The polite -ます form is suitable for a courteous offer or statement, but it does not itself mean “can”; the “I can” wording comes from the fixed translation and context. The person doing the telling is understood from the sentence and translation, while the information being conveyed is left implicit. Example: 担当者に伝えます。 — “I’ll inform the person in charge.” Together, 小皿に入れたソース identifies sauce placed in a small dish. お持ちして adds the speaker’s bringing it, and 厨房にも伝えます adds informing the kitchen as well. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can bring a small dish of sauce and let the kitchen know.”

8. もっと食べる前に、お伝えしておこうと思いました。

   I wanted to mention it before I ate more of it.

   もっと

   more

   食べる

   eat

   前に

   before

   お伝えしておこう

   make sure to mention

   と思いました

   I thought / wanted to

   More detail

   もっと means “more” and modifies the following action here: もっと食べる means “eat more.” It does not by itself state what the object is; the omitted object is understood from the fixed meaning and context. Example: もっと飲みます。 — “I’ll drink more.” 食べる is the plain, nonpast form of 食べる, “to eat.” In 食べる前に, this form is used before 前に to make the pattern “before doing ...”: V-る前に. Example: 寝る前に、歯を磨きます。 — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 前に means “before” in this time expression. With a verb in the preceding plain form, V-る前に means that the main-clause action happens before the action expressed by V: 食べる前に = “before eating.” お伝えしておこう combines お伝えする with ておく in its volitional form. 伝える means “to convey” or “to tell,” and お伝えする is a humble form used when the speaker conveys information. The ておく pattern can express doing something in advance; しておこう expresses the speaker’s decision or intention to do it. Thus this chunk means “I’ll make sure to mention it” or “I should mention it beforehand.” Example: 先に伝えておこう。 — “I’ll make sure to tell them in advance.” と思いました is the polite past form of と思う, “to think,” in the pattern 〜と思う. After an intention or decision, 〜と思いました can politely present what the speaker decided or wanted to do, giving the intended meaning “I thought/wanted to ...” here. The form 思いました itself is past and polite; it does not mean that the earlier action was completed. Together, もっと食べる前に sets the time frame “before eating more of it.” お伝えしておこう expresses the speaker’s advance intention to mention it, and と思いました frames that intention politely as a past thought. The complete utterance therefore means: “I wanted to mention it before I ate more of it.”

9. ソースを試してもまだ乾いていたら、教えてください。

   Please tell me if it is still dry after you try the sauce.

   ソース

   sauce

   試して

   try

   まだ

   still

   乾いていたら

   if it is dry

   教えてください

   please tell me

   More detail

   ソース is the noun meaning “sauce.” The particle を marks it as the thing being tried, so ソースを試す means “try the sauce.” The noun itself does not indicate who owns the sauce or how much there is. 試して is the て-form of 試す, “to try.” The て-form combines with the following も in 試しても; も adds an “even if/though” nuance. In this sentence, the fixed translation presents the relevant point as after trying the sauce. Example: この方法を試して、結果を教えてください。 — “Try this method and tell me the result.” まだ means “still,” indicating that the relevant state continues at that point. Together with 乾いていたら, it says that the item is still dry. 乾いていたら expresses “if it is dry.” 乾く means “become dry,” while 乾いている describes the resulting state, “be dry.” The form 乾いていたら places that state in a たら condition; the た in the state expression does not by itself require a past-time interpretation. Example: パンが乾いていたら、教えてください。 — “Please tell me if the bread is dry.” 教えてください is a polite request meaning “please tell me.” It uses the て-form of 教える (“to tell” or “to teach”) with ください in the request pattern 〜てください. Here, the information to be reported is the situation described before it. Example: 問題があったら、教えてください。 — “Please tell me if there is a problem.” Together, ソースを試しても refers to trying the sauce, まだ乾いていたら gives the condition that it is still dry, and 教えてください politely asks the listener to report that situation. The whole utterance means: “Please tell me if it is still dry after you try the sauce.”

10. 別の方法を考えます。

    We can find another solution.

    別の

    another; different

    方法

    method; solution

    考えます

    think; consider

    More detail

    別の modifies the noun that follows it and means “another” or “different” in relation to an already relevant method or option. Here it narrows 方法 to an alternative one. Example: 別の店に行きます。 — “I’ll go to another shop.” 方法 means “method,” “way,” or “approach.” In this sentence, the fixed translation uses the context-appropriate sense “solution,” but the word itself refers more broadly to a way of doing or achieving something. Example: 簡単な方法を探します。 — “I’ll look for an easy method.” 考えます is the polite nonpast form of 考える, “to think” or “to consider.” The nonpast form can describe a present intention or a future action, so here it presents considering an alternative approach. Japanese does not state the subject in this sentence; the fixed translation gives the intended actor as “we.” Example: よく考えます。 — “I’ll think carefully.” Together, 別の方法 means “another method/approach,” and 別の方法を考えます means “consider another approach.” With the fixed translation’s intended meaning, the whole utterance is naturally rendered as “We can find another solution.”