Apologizing for canceling plans and rescheduling | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 本当にすみませんが、今夜の予定をキャンセルしなければなりません。

   I'm really sorry, but I need to cancel tonight's plan.

   本当に

   really

   すみませんが

   I'm sorry, but

   今夜

   tonight

   予定

   plan; schedule

   キャンセル

   cancel

   しなければなりません

   must do; need to

   More detail

   本当に means “really” here and intensifies the apology. It is based on 本当 (“truth; reality”) plus に, which lets it function adverbially. For example, 本当にありがとう。 means “Thank you very much.” すみませんが combines the apology すみません with the connective が. すみません is a polite way to apologize; が links that apology to what follows, here with the effect of “but.” The same connective can join contrasting or simply continuing statements, as in すみませんが、質問があります。 — “Excuse me, but I have a question.” 今夜 means “tonight.” It is a time expression made from 今 (“now; current”) and 夜 (“night”). Unlike a phrase such as 今夜の予定, which means “tonight’s plan,” 今夜 by itself identifies the time. 予定 means “plan” or “schedule.” In this sentence, 今夜の予定 is “tonight’s plan”: の connects 今夜 to the noun it specifies. 予定 can also refer to a scheduled event or arrangement, for example 明日の予定 — “tomorrow’s schedule/plan.” キャンセル is the noun-like loanword “cancellation” or “cancel,” and it is followed here by する in the form キャンセルする, “to cancel.” Japanese commonly uses this noun-plus-する pattern with many actions. For example, 予約をキャンセルする means “to cancel a reservation.” しなければなりません expresses an obligation: “must do” or “need to do.” Its base verb is する (“to do”); し is the form used before this conditional construction. The pattern 〜なければなりません means “must〜,” so キャンセルしなければなりません means “must cancel.” The negative-looking part なければ is part of this fixed obligation pattern, not a negation of the final meaning. A less formal equivalent is 〜なければならない. Together, 今夜の予定 identifies what is affected, キャンセルしなければなりません says that canceling it is necessary, and 本当にすみませんが frames the statement as a sincere apology followed by contrasting information. The whole utterance therefore means, “I’m really sorry, but I need to cancel tonight’s plan.”

2. それは残念です。何か急なことがありましたか。

   That's disappointing. Did something urgent happen?

   それは

   that

   残念

   disappointing; unfortunate

   何か

   something

   急な

   urgent; sudden

   こと

   matter; thing

   ありましたか

   did ... happen?

   More detail

   それは: それ is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that,” and は marks it as the topic. Here, the topic is the situation referred to immediately before: needing to cancel tonight’s plan. Japanese demonstratives such as これ (“this”), それ (“that”), and あれ (“that over there”) express the speaker’s choice of reference, not grammatical gender or number. 残念: In this sentence, 残念 is a な-type descriptive word used as the predicate before polite です; 残念です means “is disappointing” or “is unfortunate.” Its attributive form is 残念な, as in 残念な結果 (“a disappointing result”). 何か: 何か means “something” here. 何 means “what,” while the ending か makes an indefinite expression. Compare 何ですか (“what is it?”) with 何かあります (“there is something”). 急な: 急な modifies the following noun こと. The base form is 急だ in predicate use, while 急な is the form used before a noun: 急な予定 means “an urgent/sudden plan.” In this question, the intended meaning is “urgent,” as supported by the translation; the same word can describe something sudden in other contexts. こと: こと is a noun for a matter, event, or circumstance, especially something abstract. In 急なこと, it turns the description into “an urgent matter/event.” Japanese also uses もの for a thing, but こと is the natural choice here for an event or circumstance rather than a physical object. ありましたか: ありましたか is the polite past question form of ある, “to exist” or, with an event, “to happen.” The sequence is ある → ありました (polite past) → ありましたか (polite past question). In this sentence, the noun phrase 何か急なこと is the thing that happened. The question therefore asks whether something urgent occurred, rather than asking what the thing was. Together, それは残念です means “That’s disappointing,” with the previously mentioned cancellation situation as the topic. 何か急なことがありましたか combines 何か急なこと (“something urgent”) with が, which marks it as the event that occurred, and polite past ありましたか (“did ... happen?”). The whole utterance is: “That’s disappointing. Did something urgent happen?”

3. 家族のことで問題が起きて、家を出られません。

   A family issue came up, and I can't leave home.

   家族

   family

   問題

   problem; issue

   起きて

   came up; happened

   家

   home; house

   出られません

   cannot leave

   More detail

   家族 means “family.” In this sentence, 家族のことで means “concerning a family matter”: のこと turns the topic into “matters concerning …,” and で links that matter to the situation being described. This does not identify a particular family member. 問題 means “problem” or “issue.” The pattern 問題が起きる is a useful way to say that a problem occurs or comes up, with が marking the thing that arises. Example: 新しい問題が起きた。 — “A new problem came up.” 起きて is the て-form of 起きる in its event-related sense, “occur” or “arise,” not the separate sense “wake up.” Here, 問題が起きて connects the problem arising to the next situation: “a problem came up, and …” The て-form commonly links related clauses without expressing the full relationship by itself. 家 means “home” or “house.” In 家を出る, を marks the place that is left, so the whole pattern means “leave home/leave the house.” Example: 七時に家を出ます。 — “I leave home at seven.” 出られません means “cannot leave” here. It is the polite negative of the potential form 出られる (“can leave”), built from 出る (“leave/go out”): 出られる → 出られません. Thus it expresses inability in this situation, rather than simply saying that the speaker does not leave. The fixed translation specifies that the place being left is home. Together, 家族のことで問題が起きて gives “because a family issue came up,” and 家を出られません gives “I cannot leave home.” The complete utterance therefore means: “A family issue came up, and I can’t leave home.”

4. わかりました。でも、もっと早く知りたかったです。

   I understand, but I wish I had known earlier.

   わかりました

   I understand

   でも

   but

   もっと

   more

   早く

   earlier

   知りたかったです

   I wish I had known

   More detail

   わかりました is the polite past form of わかる (“to understand; to become clear”). In this utterance it is a conventional acknowledgment, naturally “I understand” or “Understood.” The polite ending -ました marks the completed/polite form; it does not by itself mean that the understanding happened long ago. でも means “but” and links the acknowledgment to a contrasting feeling or assessment. It is a standalone connector, so the contrast comes from the next part rather than from でも alone. もっと means “more” and increases the degree of the following expression. It is reusable before an adjective or adverb, as in もっとゆっくり (“more slowly”). 早く is the adverbial form of 早い (“early; fast”). Here it means “earlier,” describing when the knowing would have occurred. The same form can also mean “quickly” in a different context, so the time-related meaning here comes from its combination with 知りたかった and the fixed translation. 知りたかったです contains 知る (“to know”), the desire form 知りたい (“want to know”), its past form 知りたかった (“wanted to know”), and the polite ending です. In this sentence, the fixed translation establishes the retrospective reading “I wish I had known”: the speaker wanted the knowledge at an earlier time, but the utterance does not assert that the speaker actually knew it then. Japanese 知りたかった itself does not form an English-style pluperfect; the regretful “had known” interpretation comes from the context and meaning of the complete sentence. Together, もっと早く means “earlier,” and 知りたかったです expresses the speaker’s retrospective wish about knowing. The whole utterance therefore means “I understand, but I wish I had known earlier.”

5. その通りです。わかったらすぐに伝えるべきでした。

   You're right. I should have told you as soon as I knew.

   その通りです

   That's right.

   わかったら

   once I knew

   すぐに

   immediately

   伝える

   tell; inform

   べきでした

   should have

   More detail

   その通りです means “That’s right” or “Exactly.” 通り means “way” or “as,” and その points to what has just been said; です is the polite copula. Together, this is a common polite way to agree with a statement. わかったら comes from わかる (“to understand” or “to find out/know”). Here, the past form わかった plus ら gives a conditional-time meaning: “when” or “once I knew.” In this sentence, the intended meaning is “once I knew,” not simply “if I understood.” For example, わかったら教えてください means “Please let me know when you find out.” すぐに is the adverb “immediately” or “right away.” It modifies the following action, so it says that the telling should have happened without delay. 伝える is the dictionary form of “to tell” or “to convey information.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended recipient as “you,” although Japanese does not state that recipient in the utterance. The polite form is 伝えます, and the past form is 伝えました. べきでした expresses that something was the proper or expected action, viewed as past: “should have.” べき follows a dictionary-form verb, so 伝えるべきでした means “I should have told you.” The past marking is carried by でした; 伝える itself remains in dictionary form. A present-oriented version is 伝えるべきです (“I should/ought to tell [you]”), while 伝えなくてもよかったです means “It was okay not to tell [you],” a different construction. Putting the parts together, その通りです says “You’re right.” Then わかったらすぐに sets the time and speed—“as soon as I knew”—and 伝えるべきでした says that telling you was the action that ought to have been taken. The whole utterance is therefore: “You’re right. I should have told you as soon as I knew.”

6. そう言ってくれてありがたいです。私はもう準備を始めていました。

   I appreciate that. I had already started getting ready.

   そう言ってくれて

   for saying that

   ありがたいです

   I appreciate it

   私は

   as for me; I

   もう

   already

   準備

   preparation; getting ready

   始めていました

   had started

   More detail

   そう言ってくれて combines そう (“that way” or “that”) with 言う (“to say”) and the auxiliary くれる. The て form 言って links the saying to what follows, while くれて presents the other person’s action as something beneficial to the speaker. Here, the whole chunk means “for saying that to me.” A reusable pattern is Verb-てくれてありがとう (“thank you for doing ... for me”). ありがたいです uses the adjective ありがたい, “grateful” or “appreciative,” with polite です. In this sentence it expresses appreciation for the other person’s words. ありがとう is the common conversational expression of thanks, whereas ありがたい describes the situation or action as appreciated. 私は consists of 私 (“I” or “me”) plus the topic marker は. It sets the speaker as the topic: “as for me, I ...” The topic marker does not itself mark the subject in every sentence, but here the translation identifies the speaker as the person who had begun preparing. もう means “already” here. It places the preparation before the relevant reference point. It can have other uses in different contexts, such as “any more” with negation, but this sentence uses the completed-before-that-point sense. 準備 is the noun “preparation” and commonly combines with する to mean “to prepare.” In this sentence it is understood as getting ready, in the construction 準備を始める (“start preparing”). 準備 itself is not the verb “start”; 始める supplies that action. 始めていました comes from 始める (“to start”): 始めて is its て form, followed by polite いました, the past form of いる. With a verb, -ていました presents an action as being in progress or as an established state in the past. With もう, the combination fits the intended meaning “had already started.” The past-before-past relationship is supplied by the context and translation; 始めていました alone does not mechanically equal an English pluperfect in every context. Together, そう言ってくれてありがたいです means “I appreciate that” or, more literally, “I am grateful that you said that to me.” 私はもう準備を始めていました means “I had already started getting ready,” with 私は marking the speaker, もう marking the earlier timing, and 準備を始めていました describing the preparation that had begun. The complete utterance therefore means: “I appreciate that. I had already started getting ready.”

7. あなたの都合のよい別の日を選んで、埋め合わせをさせてください。

   Let me make it up to you by choosing another date that works for you.

   あなたの

   your

   都合のよい

   convenient; suitable

   別

   another; different

   日

   day; date

   選んで

   choose, and by choosing...

   埋め合わせ

   making up for it

   させてください

   please let me...

   More detail

   あなたの means “your.” あなた is a second-person pronoun, and の links it to the following noun phrase to show possession or association. Here it identifies the date as one that suits the person being addressed. Example: あなたの本 means “your book.” 都合のよい means “convenient” or “suitable” here. 都合 refers to someone’s circumstances, schedule, or convenience, while よい is the attributive form of よい (“good”) and describes what follows. The common conversational form いい also means “good,” but 都合のよい is a standard expression for something that fits someone’s schedule. Example: 都合のよい時間 means “a time that is convenient for you.” 別 means “another” or “different.” In 別の日, it identifies a day/date different from the one currently under discussion. This is not the same as 次 (“next”): 別の日 does not by itself say that the date is chronologically next. Example: 別の方法 means “another method.” 日 can mean “day” and, in a scheduling context, “date.” Here the translation supports the scheduling meaning, so 別の日 is “another date.” The reading of this word depends on context; it does not always mean a calendar date. 選んで is the te-form of 選ぶ, “to choose.” The te-form can connect an action to what follows, and here it presents choosing the date as the means or accompanying action for the request, giving “by choosing ...” rather than necessarily asserting a separate completed step first. The subject is understood from the sentence and translation as the person speaking: “choose another suitable date.” Example: 好きな色を選んでください means “Please choose your favorite color.” 埋め合わせ is a noun meaning compensation or making up for something. It commonly appears with する, as in 埋め合わせをする, “to make up for it” or “to compensate.” In the fixed utterance, the following させてください turns this into a request to be allowed to make amends; the exact thing being compensated for is understood from the situation rather than named inside 埋め合わせ itself. させてください is a polite request meaning “please let me ...” or “allow me to ...”. させる is the causative form of する, and ください makes the request polite. With a first-person action, this pattern is commonly used to ask permission to do something: 説明させてください means “Please let me explain.” It is not simply the ordinary request してください (“please do ...”); させてください asks that the speaker be allowed to perform the action. Together, あなたの都合のよい別の日 means “another date that works for you.” 選んで presents choosing that date as the means or accompanying action, and 埋め合わせをさせてください means “please let me make it up to you.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Let me make it up to you by choosing another date that works for you.”

8. 予定は変更できますが、状況が落ち着いたら確認してください。

   We can reschedule, but please confirm once things are calmer.

   予定

   schedule; plans

   変更できます

   can reschedule; can change

   状況

   situation; circumstances

   落ち着いたら

   once things calm down

   確認してください

   please confirm

   More detail

   予定 means “schedule” or “plan.” Here, 予定は makes the schedule the topic; は marks what the sentence is about and can also help set up a contrast. Example: 予定を確認します。 — “I’ll check the schedule.” 変更できます expresses ability or possibility: “can change” or, in this context, “can reschedule.” 変更 means “change,” and できます is the polite nonpast form of できる, “can / be possible.” Japanese also has the more explicit pattern 変更することができます for “be able to change.” The actor is not stated in this form; the fixed translation identifies the actor here as “we.” が connects the two clauses with a contrast, here equivalent to “but.” It follows the first clause and links it to the request in the second clause. The condition itself is expressed later by 落ち着いたら. 状況 means “situation” or “circumstances.” In 状況が, が marks it as the subject of 落ち着く: the situation is what settles. Example: 状況が変わりました。 — “The situation changed.” 落ち着いたら means “once things are calmer” here. Its base form is 落ち着く, “settle down / become calm.” 落ち着いた is its past form, and adding ら creates a conditional meaning such as “when” or “once.” This form presents the settling as the condition for what follows, rather than simply narrating a past event. Example: 仕事が落ち着いたら、連絡します。 — “I’ll contact you once work settles down.” 確認してください is a polite request to confirm or check. 確認する means “confirm / check”; its request form is 確認して plus ください, a polite request pattern meaning “please do ...”. The て form here is part of that request construction, not a separate past-tense marker. Example: 内容を確認してください。 — “Please check the details.” Together, 予定は変更できますが means “we can reschedule, but,” and 状況が落ち着いたら確認してください means “please confirm once things are calmer.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We can reschedule, but please confirm once things are calmer.”

9. 詳しいことがわかったら、メッセージを送ります。

   I'll message you when I know more.

   詳しい

   detailed

   こと

   matter; information

   わかったら

   when I know

   メッセージ

   message

   送ります

   will send

   More detail

   詳しい means “detailed” or “specific.” It is the adjective modifying こと here, so 詳しいこと means “detailed information” or, more literally, “detailed matters.” Its base form is 詳しい; the ending -い is part of this adjective’s ordinary form, not an inflection on こと. A useful contrast is 詳しくない (“not detailed” / “not specific”). こと is a noun meaning a matter, fact, or piece of information. In 詳しいこと, it turns the adjective’s idea into the subject matter being known. The phrase does not by itself identify exactly what the information concerns; that is supplied by the surrounding situation. わかったら comes from わかる, “to understand” or “to find out/know.” The observed form combines the past form わかった with -ら, creating a たら conditional. In this sentence, 詳しいことがわかったら means “when I find out more” or “once the details are known.” Japanese commonly uses this form for a condition that is expected to be fulfilled before the next action. For example, 時間がわかったら、教えてください。 means “When you know the time, please tell me.” The subject of わかった is not overtly stated in the Japanese, but the fixed translation supports the speaker as the person who will find out. メッセージ is the loanword “message.” It is a noun and is the direct object of the following verb. In a reusable pattern, メッセージを送る means “send a message”; を marks the thing sent. 送ります is the polite nonpast form of 送る, “to send.” Its nonpast form can describe a future action, so here it means “will send.” The polite ending -ます makes the statement suitable for a courteous exchange. For example, あとで写真を送ります。 means “I’ll send a photo later.” The subject is understood from the fixed translation as the speaker, while あなた (“you”) is not stated in the Japanese. Together, 詳しいことがわかったら sets the condition “when I know more,” and メッセージを送ります gives the resulting action “I’ll send a message.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll message you when I know more.”

10. 急な変更であなたの夜の予定を乱してしまったとわかっています。

    I know the late change disrupted your evening.

    急な

    sudden

    変更

    change

    あなたの

    your

    夜

    evening; night

    予定

    plans; schedule

    乱してしまった

    ended up disrupting

    とわかっています

    I know that…

    More detail

    急な means “sudden” here and modifies the following noun. It is the attributive form of 急だ: 急な変更 = “a sudden change.” This is different from 急いで, which means “hurriedly” and comes from 急ぐ. 変更 is the noun “change.” Together, 急な変更 identifies the change as sudden; the Japanese で after it marks the circumstance or cause connected with what follows. あなたの means “your.” The particle の links the possessor to the following noun, so あなたの予定 means “your plans/schedule.” Japanese does not mark this pronoun for grammatical gender or number here. 夜 means “evening” or “night.” In this sentence, the fixed translation selects “evening.” As a noun modifier, it helps form 夜の予定, “evening plans” or “the schedule for the evening.” 予定 means “plans” or “schedule.” It can refer to an arrangement or something one intends to do. For example, 明日の予定 means “tomorrow’s plans/schedule.” 乱してしまった comes from the transitive verb 乱す, “to disrupt” or “throw into disorder.” 乱して is its て-form, and しまった adds completion: the disruption has occurred. With an unwanted result, 〜てしまう can also convey that the speaker feels the result was unfortunate, but that nuance is not a separate explicit claim in the fixed translation. The past form しまった places the completed event in the past. とわかっています follows the content being known. と marks the quoted proposition, and わかっています means “know/understand” in the polite form; here the understood subject is “I,” as specified by the fixed translation. The base form is わかる; わかっています presents the knowledge as an existing state rather than simply a moment of discovering it. For example, それが大切だとわかっています。 means “I know that it is important.” Taken together, 急な変更で sets up the sudden change as the relevant cause or circumstance, あなたの夜の予定を marks your evening plans as the object affected, and 乱してしまった says that they were disrupted. The final とわかっています frames the whole preceding proposition as what the speaker knows: “I know that the sudden change disrupted your evening.”

11. ご家族の皆さんが無事だと願っています。

    I hope everything is all right with your family.

    ご家族

    your family

    皆さん

    everyone

    無事

    safe and well

    願っています

    I hope

    More detail

    ご家族 means “your family” here. 家族 is “family,” and ご is a polite/respectful prefix. The の in ご家族の皆さん links the family to the people being addressed: “the members of your family.” Japanese often uses ご家族 as a respectful way to refer to someone else’s family. 皆さん means “everyone” or “all of you” in a polite form. In this sentence, together with ご家族の, it refers to all the members of the listener’s family. 皆 is the base form meaning “everyone/all,” while さん adds polite respect. 無事 means “safe and well” or “without harm.” In the full clause, 無事だ means “be safe and well”; だ is the plain copular form. The と after this clause marks the content of the hope: “that they are safe and well.” 願っています comes from 願う, “to wish” or “to hope.” The -ています form presents the hoping as an ongoing state, so 願っています means “I am hoping” or, naturally here, “I hope.” This form does not by itself identify a gender or number for the person hoping; the English subject “I” is supplied by the fixed translation and context. The structure is ご家族の皆さんが (“all the members of your family,” marked as the subject) + 無事だと (“that [they] are safe and well”) + 願っています (“I hope”). Together: “I hope everything is all right with your family.”