Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 昨日のサービスについて、苦情を申し立てたいのですが。

   I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.

   昨日

   yesterday

   サービス

   service

   について

   about; regarding

   苦情

   complaint

   申し立てたい

   want to lodge; want to file

   のですが

   a polite lead-in to a request or concern

   More detail

   昨日 means “yesterday.” In 昨日のサービス, it modifies サービス, giving the phrase the meaning “yesterday’s service” or “the service from yesterday.” Example: 昨日電話しました。means “I called yesterday.” サービス means “service.” It is a loanword written in katakana. Here it refers to the service being discussed, without specifying a particular type of service. について marks the topic or subject being discussed: “about” or “concerning.” The pattern 名詞について is reusable with a noun: 商品について質問があります。means “I have a question about the product.” 苦情 means “complaint.” It is a noun for an expression of dissatisfaction. In this sentence, it is the complaint being lodged. 申し立てたい comes from 申し立てる, “to lodge, file, or formally state,” plus たい, which expresses the speaker’s desire to do something here. 申し立てる becomes 申し立てたい by replacing its final る with たい. Example: 異議を申し立てたいです。means “I want to file an objection.” のですが follows the desired action and creates a polite, softened lead-in to a request or concern. Here it presents the speaker’s situation so the listener can respond; it does not need to be translated as a strong “but.” The の gives the statement explanatory framing, while が leaves the utterance open for what follows. Together, 昨日のサービスについて means “about yesterday’s service,” and 苦情を申し立てたいのですが means “I would like to lodge a complaint.” The full utterance is therefore: “I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.” It is a polite way to introduce the complaint before giving its details.

2. それは申し訳ありません。何があったか教えていただけますか。

   I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?

   それは

   About that

   申し訳ありません

   I am sorry

   何があったか

   what happened

   教えていただけますか

   Could you tell me?

   More detail

   それは uses それ, a demonstrative meaning “that,” followed by は, which marks it as the topic: “as for that.” Here, the fixed translation shows that it refers to the situation just mentioned, but それ itself does not specify a grammatical gender or number. 申し訳ありません is a formal apology meaning “I am sorry.” The useful base expression is 申し訳ない; the observed form uses the polite negative form ありません. In this expression, the negative-looking form is the conventional polite way to say that one has no excuse, so it functions as a strong, respectful apology rather than a simple statement about existence. A less formal apology is ごめんなさい, but it is not interchangeable in every professional situation. 何があったか contains 何 “what,” が marking it as the subject of the embedded clause, and あった, the past form of ある. In this context, あった means “happened” or “occurred,” not merely “existed.” The final か marks an embedded question: 何があったか means “what happened” as the information being asked about. For example, 何が起きたか分かりません。 means “I do not know what happened.” 教えていただけますか is a polite request built from 教える “to tell” or “to teach,” ていただく, and the polite question ending ますか. 教えて is the て-form of 教える, linking the verb to the favor expression. いただく presents the speaker as receiving the listener’s helpful action, so 教えていただけますか is a respectful way to ask “Could you tell me?” It is more deferential than a plain request such as 教えてください. The question form asks whether the listener can or will provide the information; in this context, its intended function is a courteous request. Together, それは申し訳ありません presents a formal apology about the situation, and 何があったか教えていただけますか asks the listener respectfully to provide the information about what happened. The complete meaning is: “I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?”

3. 予約が確定していたのに、その後長い間待ちました。

   I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.

   予約

   reservation; appointment

   確定していた

   was confirmed

   のに

   although; even though

   その後

   after that

   長い

   long

   間

   period; interval

   待ちました

   waited

   More detail

   予約 means a reservation or appointment. In this sentence, it is the thing whose status is described by 確定していた. The choice between “reservation” and “appointment” depends on the situation; the fixed translation supports “appointment” here. 確定していた comes from 確定する, “to be confirmed” or “to become definite.” The -ていた form presents that confirmed state as holding at the relevant past point: 予約が確定していた means “the appointment was confirmed.” This form is different from 確定した, which more directly presents the confirmation as an event. The が-marked noun is the appointment or reservation, not the person who waited. のに connects the confirmed situation with an unexpected or contrasting result. Here, 予約が確定していたのに means “although the appointment was confirmed” or “even though the appointment was confirmed.” It does not itself mean “but” as a separate event; it marks the contrast between the preceding condition and what follows. その後 means “after that” or “afterwards.” The demonstrative その points back to an already established situation or event; in this sentence, it places the waiting after the confirmed-appointment situation. 長い is the adjective “long.” Its base form is 長い; a useful contrast is 短い, “short.” Before a duration noun, 長い describes an extended length of time, as in 長い時間 (“a long time”). 間 means a span, interval, or period. In 長い間, it combines with 長い to form “for a long time.” This is a duration expression, so it describes how long the waiting continued rather than a separate physical interval. 待ちました is the polite past form of 待つ, “to wait”: 待つ → 待ちます → 待ちました. The sentence’s fixed translation identifies the omitted subject as “I,” so this means “I waited.” Japanese can omit a subject when the context supports it; 待ちました itself marks politeness and past time, not the subject’s person. Together, 予約が確定していたのに sets up the contrast “although the appointment was confirmed,” and その後長い間待ちました says “after that, I waited for a long time.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Although my appointment was confirmed, I waited a long time afterward.”

4. その遅れについては、その時に説明されるべきでした。

   That delay should have been explained at the time.

   その

   that

   遅れ

   delay

   については

   as for; regarding

   その時

   at that time

   説明される

   be explained

   べきでした

   should have

   More detail

   その in その遅れ is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that,” placed before a noun. Here it identifies the delay referred to in the fixed translation. Japanese demonstratives such as この “this,” その “that,” and あの “that over there/previously mentioned” can modify nouns directly: この問題 means “this problem.” 遅れ means “delay.” It is a noun and is also related to the verb 遅れる “be late; be delayed.” Do not treat 遅れ as a verb form in this sentence: it names the delay. For example, 遅れがありました means “There was a delay.” については marks the topic as “as for” or “regarding.” について means “about/regarding,” and the added は gives the phrase topic or contrastive focus. The pattern Nについては、... is reusable: この問題については、後で話します。 means “Regarding this problem, I will talk about it later.” The second その in その時 also means “that,” but here it modifies 時 “time,” producing “that time.” The exact time is not stated in the sentence; the translation establishes that the intended meaning is the relevant time. その時に uses に to mark a time point: その時に連絡してください。 means “Please contact me at that time.” 説明される means “be explained.” The underlying verb is 説明する “explain,” and 説明される is its passive form: the thing being explained is presented as the affected subject, while the explainer can be left unstated. Its nonpast form can refer to a future or general event as well as a present one, but here the following past form places the expected explanation in the past context. べきでした expresses that something should have happened or was expected to happen in the past. The useful pattern is 動詞の辞書形 + べきだ for “should ...”; with past でした, it becomes “should have ...” in a past situation. In this sentence, 説明されるべきでした means “should have been explained,” not simply “was explained.” For example, もっと早く知らせるべきでした。 means “I should have informed [someone] earlier.” Together, その遅れについては sets the delay as the topic, その時に specifies the relevant time, and 説明されるべきでした says that an explanation was expected at that time. The whole utterance therefore means: “That delay should have been explained at the time.”

5. 遅れが起こることは理解していますが、誰も状況を知らせてくれませんでした。

   I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.

   遅れ

   delay

   起こる

   happen

   理解しています

   understand

   誰も

   nobody

   状況

   situation

   知らせてくれませんでした

   did not let me know

   More detail

   遅れ is a noun meaning “delay.” It can be used as the topic or subject of a sentence. Example: 遅れがありました。—“There was a delay.” 起こる means “to happen” or “to occur.” Its base form is 起こる; in this sentence it follows 遅れ, so 遅れが起こる means “a delay happens.” Example: 問題が起こることがあります。—“Problems sometimes happen.” The combination 遅れが起こること uses こと to turn the clause 遅れが起こる into a noun-like idea: “the fact that delays happen.” The topic marker は then sets that idea as the topic. This pattern is reusable: V-ことは理解しています means “I understand that …,” with the clause before こと supplying what is understood. 理解しています comes from 理解する, “to understand.” The form 理解しています is polite and presents understanding as a current state, so it naturally corresponds to “I understand” here. Example: 状況は理解しています。—“I understand the situation.” が contrasts the first clause with what follows. Thus, 理解していますが means “I understand that …, but …” in this utterance. 誰も means “nobody” when it occurs with a negative predicate. The negative meaning is completed by 知らせてくれませんでした later in the sentence; 誰も by itself does not always mean “nobody.” Example: 誰も来ませんでした。—“Nobody came.” 状況 means “situation” or “circumstances.” With を, it is the thing being communicated: 状況を知らせる means “to inform someone of the situation.” Example: 状況を説明します。—“I will explain the situation.” 知らせてくれませんでした is based on 知らせる, “to inform” or “to let someone know.” The て-form connects it to くれる: 知らせてくれる presents the informing as an action done for the speaker. くれませんでした is its polite negative past form, so the whole expression means “did not let me know” here. The fixed translation identifies the recipient as “me.” Example: 会社が変更を知らせてくれました。—“The company let me know about the change.” Together, 遅れが起こることは理解しています gives “I understand that delays happen.” The contrast marker が then introduces the opposing point, 誰も状況を知らせてくれませんでした: “nobody gave me an update.” The complete utterance is therefore, “I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.”

6. お待ちの間、私たちはお客様に状況をお知らせすべきでした。

   We should have kept you informed while you waited.

   お待ちの間

   while you were waiting

   私たちは

   we

   お客様

   customer; you as the customer

   状況

   situation

   お知らせすべきでした

   should have informed

   More detail

   お待ちの間 means “while you were waiting” here. 待つ means “to wait.” お待ち is a respectful form related to 待つ, referring politely to the other person’s waiting, and の間 means “during that time.” Example: 待っている間、本を読みました。 — “I read a book while waiting.” 私たちは means “we” or “as for us.” 私たち is a first-person plural pronoun, and は marks it as the topic. Here it identifies the people responsible for informing the customer. Example: 私たちは確認します。 — “We will check.” お客様 is a respectful word for “customer” or “guest.” Here, the fixed translation identifies this customer as “you,” the person being addressed. In this form, お is a respectful prefix and 様 is a respectful title element; お does not express a separate quantity. Example: お客様をお待たせしました。 — “We kept the customer waiting.” 状況 means “situation” or “state of affairs.” Here it is the information about what was happening that should have been communicated. Example: 状況を説明します。 — “I will explain the situation.” お知らせすべきでした expresses “should have informed.” お知らせする means “to inform” or “to notify” in this formal service-related expression. Before べき, the する part appears as すべき, giving the observed form お知らせすべきでした; do not replace the observed source with お知らせするべきでした. べきだ expresses what one ought to do, and べきでした presents that obligation as one that should have been fulfilled in the past. Example: 早く知らせるべきでした。 — “I should have told you sooner.” Together, お待ちの間 sets the time, 私たちは identifies the responsible party, お客様に identifies the customer as the recipient, 状況を marks the situation as the object, and お知らせすべきでした says that informing was the action that ought to have been done. The complete meaning is: “We should have kept you informed while you waited.”

7. 難しいことを言うつもりはありませんが、もっとよいサービスを期待していました。

   I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.

   難しい

   difficult

   こと

   matter; thing

   言う

   say

   つもりはありませんが

   do not intend to, but

   もっとよい

   better

   サービス

   service

   期待していました

   expected

   More detail

   難しい means “difficult” here and is the adjective modifying こと. Its base form is 難しい; useful forms include 難しくない “not difficult” and 難しかった “was difficult.” In this sentence, it describes the kind of thing being said, not the service. こと is a noun meaning a matter, thing, or situation. In 難しいこと, it turns the description into “a difficult thing/matter.” The pattern adjective + こと is reusable when referring to something characterized by that adjective. Example: 大切なことを話します。 — “I will talk about an important matter.” 言う is the dictionary form of the verb “to say.” Here it follows 難しいこと, giving “say something difficult.” The form itself is not marked for past or politeness; the surrounding construction supplies the sentence’s polite negative form. つもりはありませんが expresses “I do not intend to ..., but ...”. つもり is an intention or plan; は sets that intention as the topic and adds contrast, while ありません is the polite negative of ある. The final が connects the two parts as “but,” rather than simply ending the sentence. In this utterance, 難しいことを言うつもりはありませんが is naturally rendered “I am not trying to be difficult, but,” although its structure is closer to “I do not intend to say something difficult, but.” Example: 明日行くつもりはありません。 — “I do not intend to go tomorrow.” もっとよい means “better” in this context. よい is the adjective meaning “good,” and もっと increases the degree, producing “better” or “even better.” よい also has the common conversational form いい; its negative and past forms are よくない “not good” and よかった “was good.” The adjective modifies サービス, so the sentence refers to service of a higher quality than the speaker expected. サービス is the noun “service.” It is a loanword written in katakana and is the noun modified by もっとよい. Example: よいサービスを選びます。 — “I will choose good service.” 期待していました comes from 期待する, “to expect” or “to hope for.” していました is the polite past form of している; here it presents the expectation as something the speaker held up to the relevant point, giving “expected” or “had been expecting.” The ていました form does not mean that the speaker was physically doing something continuously; with 期待する, it describes an ongoing expectation. Example: もっと早い返事を期待していました。 — “I had expected a quicker reply.” Together, 難しいことを言うつもりはありませんが says that the speaker does not intend to be difficult, and もっとよいサービスを期待していました says that the speaker expected service of a better quality. The whole utterance is therefore: “I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.”

8. マネージャーに書面で回答するよう頼みます。

   I will ask the manager to respond in writing.

   マネージャー

   manager

   書面で

   in writing

   回答する

   respond

   頼みます

   ask

   More detail

   マネージャー means “manager.” It is a loanword written in katakana. Here, に follows it and marks the person who is asked: マネージャーに means “the manager” as the recipient of the request. The fixed translation identifies the unspoken subject as “I.” 書面で means “in writing.” 書面 refers to a written document or written form, and で marks the means or manner of the action. It describes how the response should be made. 回答する means “to respond” or “to give an answer.” It is the plain nonpast form of the する verb 回答する; 回答 means “answer/response,” and する makes it an action. 回答するよう頼みます is a pattern meaning “ask someone to respond”: the requested action comes before よう, and 頼みます expresses the request. A common fuller variant is 回答するように頼みます; this sentence uses the form without に. 頼みます is the polite nonpast form of 頼む, “to ask” or “to request.” In this sentence, its nonpast form refers to the intended future action “will ask.” The form itself does not mark the subject as first person; “I” comes from the fixed translation. Together, マネージャーに identifies the person being asked, 回答するよう specifies the requested action, and 書面で says that the response should be in writing. The complete utterance means: “I will ask the manager to respond in writing.”

9. それなら助かります。私はただ、その問題に適切に対応してほしいだけです。

   That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.

   それなら

   if that's the case; then

   助かります

   that helps

   私は

   as for me; I

   ただ

   just; only

   その

   that

   問題

   issue; problem

   適切に

   appropriately; properly

   対応して

   handle; respond to

   ほしい

   want … to

   だけです

   that's all; just

   More detail

   それなら means “if that is the case” or “then, in that situation.” それ is the demonstrative element referring to an already established matter, and なら presents that matter as the condition for what follows. Pattern: Xなら、… = “if it is X / in that case, …”. 助かります is the polite nonpast form of 助かる, “to be helped” or “to be saved from difficulty.” In this utterance, its polite nonpast form presents the result as a helpful outcome: “That would help.” It is not the ordinary verb 助ける, “to help someone,” which takes a helper as the subject of the action. Example: 手伝ってくれると助かります。 — “It would help if you could help me.” 私は marks 私 (“I”) as the topic: “as for me” or simply “I” in this sentence. The particle は identifies the topic rather than marking the direct object. Here it sets up the speaker’s limited request; it does not by itself add emphasis to every possible contrast involving the speaker. ただ means “just” or “only” here. It narrows the speaker’s request, and its limiting effect is reinforced later by だけです. In other contexts, ただ can also mean “simply” or “merely,” so its exact force comes from the surrounding sentence. その is the attributive form meaning “that,” placed before a noun. Here, together with 問題, it refers to “that issue” identified by the fixed translation and context. Unlike a form used independently as “that one,” その must modify a following noun in this use. 問題 is a noun meaning “issue” or “problem.” The compound その問題 is “that issue.” Example: 問題を確認します。 — “I will check the issue.” 適切に means “appropriately” or “properly.” It is the adverbial form of 適切な, “appropriate.” The ending -に allows this descriptive word to modify the action 対応して: it says that the handling should be proper, not merely that handling should occur. 対応して is the te-form of the verb 対応する, “to deal with,” “handle,” or, depending on the object and context, “respond to.” The te-form connects this action to ほしい in the pattern Vてほしい, meaning “want someone to do V.” Here 対応して means “handle/deal with it,” and the fixed translation selects the sense “handled.” Example: この問題に対応してください。 — “Please deal with this issue.” ほしい is an i-adjective meaning “wanted” or “desired.” After a verb’s te-form, Vてほしい expresses the speaker’s wish that another person perform the action: 対応してほしい = “I want [someone] to handle it.” The form does not itself identify a specific person as the actor; the intended actor is understood from the situation. だけです consists of だけ, “only” or “nothing more than,” and polite です. After the request expression, it means “that is all” or “that’s all I want.” です makes the statement polite; だけ supplies the limiting meaning. Together with ただ, it frames the desired handling as the speaker’s sole request. As a whole, それなら助かります。 gives the conditional response “That would help.” The next sentence is organized as 私はただ、[その問題に] [適切に対応して] ほしいだけです: “As for me, I only want [someone] to handle that issue properly; that is all.” その問題に marks the issue being dealt with, 適切に describes how the dealing should be done, and 対応してほしい expresses the speaker’s wish for that action. The complete utterance is therefore: “That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.”

10. 私がマネージャーと話している間、ここでお待ちください。

    Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

    私が

    I (as the subject)

    マネージャー

    manager

    と

    with

    話している

    am speaking

    間

    while; during

    ここで

    here

    お待ちください

    please wait

    More detail

    私が means “I” as the subject of the time clause. 私 is the first-person pronoun; が marks the subject of the clause here. In this sentence, it identifies who is speaking with the manager, while the person being asked to wait is understood from the request rather than stated. マネージャー means “manager.” It is a noun written in katakana, commonly used for a loanword such as “manager.” と marks the other participant in an interaction with verbs such as 話す (“to speak” or “to talk”). The pattern Aと話す means “talk with A.” 話している is the form of 話す (“to speak; to talk”) used here for an ongoing action. The form 話して is the て-form, and いる after it presents the action as in progress: 話している = “am speaking” or “am talking.” Example: 今、友達と話している。 — “I am talking with a friend now.” 間 means “time” or “period,” and after a clause it forms a temporal pattern meaning “while” or “during.” Here, 私がマネージャーと話している間 means “while I am speaking with the manager.” The clause before 間 describes the situation that continues during the relevant period. ここで means “here,” with で marking the place where an action occurs. In this sentence, waiting is to take place here. ここ is the demonstrative for a place near the relevant speaker or viewpoint; で is the location marker for an action. お待ちください is a polite request meaning “please wait.” Its lexical verb is 待つ (“to wait”); 待ち is its stem in this request pattern. The pattern お + verb stem + ください is a polite way to ask someone to do something, as in お読みください (“please read”). It is a request, not a statement that the addressee is already waiting. Together, 私がマネージャーと話している間 sets the time condition, ここで gives the waiting location, and お待ちください makes the polite request: “Please wait here while I speak with the manager.”