Giving Specific Feedback About Uneven Course Timing | Learn Japanese in English

Japanese lesson set in a contemporary Tokyo everyday setting: At a restaurant, a guest gives specific feedback about uneven course timing while a staff member notes it as a service issue..

EN → JA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Giving Specific Feedback About Uneven Course Timing to practice Japanese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

食事は楽しめましたが、料理と料理の間隔にばらつきがあるように感じました。

shoh-KOO-jee wa ta-noh-shee-MEH-mah-shee-tah gah, ryoh-ree toh ryoh-ree noh kahn-KAH-koo nee bah-rah-TSOO-kee gah AH-roo yoo nee kahn-jee-MAH-shee-tah. The meal was enjoyable, but the timing between courses felt uneven.
B

料理の提供のペースが食事の邪魔をしてしまい、申し訳ありません。

ryoh-ree noh tay-KYOH noh PAY-soo gah shoh-KOO-jee noh jah-MAH oh shee-teh shee-MAH-ee, moh-shee-WAH-keh ah-ree-mah-SEN. I'm sorry the pacing got in the way of the meal.
A

忙しかったことは理解しています。

ee-soh-gah-SHEE-kaht-tah koh-toh wa ree-KAI shee-teh ee-MAH-soo. I understand it was busy.
A

ただ、いくつかの料理は間を置かずに続けて出てきて、ほかの料理は遅れました。

tah-DAH, ee-KOOT-soo-kah noh ryoh-ree wa MAH oh oh-KAH-zoo nee tsoo-ZOO-keh-teh DEH-teh-kee-teh, hoh-KAH noh ryoh-ree wa oh-KOO-reh-MAH-shee-tah. But a few courses arrived too close together and others lagged.
B

テーブル全体で、もっときちんと調整されるべきでした。

TAY-boo-roo zen-TAI deh, MOHT-toh kee-CHIN-toh choh-SAY sah-REH-roo BEH-kee deh-SHEE-tah. That should have been coordinated better across the table.
A

特別な対応を求めているわけではありません。

toh-koo-BET-soo nah tah-ee-OH oh moh-toh-MEH-teh ee-roo wah-keh deh-wah ah-ree-mah-SEN. I'm not looking for anything extra.
A

何が起きたのかを知っておいていただきたかっただけです。

nah-nee gah oh-KEE-tah noh-kah oh SHEE-teh oh-ee-teh ee-tah-dah-kee-tah-KAHT-tah dah-keh deh-soo. I just wanted you to know what happened.
B

具体的に教えていただけてありがたいです。私たちが改善できるサービス上の問題だと分かるからです。

goo-TAI-teh-kee nee oh-SHEH-teh ee-tah-dah-kee-TEH-teh ah-ree-gah-TAI deh-soo. wah-TAH-shee-tah-chee gah kai-ZEN deh-KEH-roo sah-BEE-soo-joh noh moh-DAI dah toh WAH-kah-roo kah-RAH deh-soo. I appreciate the detail, because it points to a service issue we can fix.
A

スタッフは終始丁寧でしたので、個人の問題というより運営上の問題のようです。

sah-TAHF-foo wa shoo-SHEE tay-NEH deh-SHEE-tah noh deh, koh-JEEN noh moh-DAI toh ee-OO yoh-ree oo-NAY-joh noh moh-DAI noh yoo deh-soo. The staff were polite throughout, so it seems more operational than personal.
B

その違いを店長に伝えます。

soh-noh chee-GAI oh ten-CHOH nee tsoo-tah-eh-MAH-soo. I'll pass that distinction on to the manager.

Word by Word

食事 食事 means “the meal” here, referring to the guest’s overall dining experience. It is followed by は in 食事は to make it the topic. A common reuse pattern is 食事を楽しむ, “enjoy a meal.”
は は marks 食事 as the topic in 食事は, setting up the comment that follows about the meal. It presents the meal first before the contrasting point introduced by が.
楽しめました 楽しめました means “was able to enjoy” in this dialogue, so the guest says the meal was enjoyable. The form expresses a polite completed assessment and helps keep the feedback positive before the criticism. A reusable pattern is 食事を楽しめました, “I was able to enjoy the meal.”
が が connects the positive statement 食事は楽しめました with the contrasting complaint that follows. Here it is best understood as “but” or “although,” softening the transition to specific negative feedback.
料理 料理 means “dish” or “course” here, referring to the individual items served during the meal. In 料理と料理, it appears on both sides of the comparison between one dish and another.
と In 料理と料理の間隔, と links the two instances of 料理 and expresses the interval between one dish and another. This pattern can be used when describing a relationship between two nouns.
の The first の in 料理と料理の間隔 links the phrase 料理と料理 to 間隔, giving the meaning “the interval between dishes.” It connects a noun phrase to the noun it describes.
間隔 間隔 means “interval” or “spacing” here, specifically the time between courses. In 料理と料理の間隔, it identifies what was uneven. A reusable pattern is AとBの間隔, “the interval between A and B.”
に In 間隔にばらつきがある, に marks the area or aspect in which the variation exists: the intervals. It helps specify where the unevenness is observed.
ばらつき ばらつき means “variation” or “unevenness” here, describing differences in the intervals between courses. It is used with ある in ばらつきがある to say that variation exists. A common reuse pattern is 時間にばらつきがある, “the timing varies.”
ある ある means “exist” in ばらつきがある, stating that unevenness is present in the intervals. It is used with an inanimate subject such as ばらつき.
よう In ばらつきがあるように感じました, よう presents the situation as something that appears or seems to be the case. It makes the criticism sound like the speaker’s perception rather than an absolute accusation.
感じました 感じました means “felt” or “had the impression” here, reporting the guest’s personal perception of the timing. The polite completed form makes the feedback measured. A reusable pattern is 〜ように感じました, “I felt that it seemed 〜.”
提供 提供 means “serving” or “provision” here, as in the serving of the dishes. In 料理の提供のペース, it modifies ペース through の and identifies the pace of service.
ペース ペース means “pace” here, specifically the pace at which dishes were served. In 料理の提供のペース, it describes the timing of the service rather than the speed of a person.
邪魔 邪魔 means “interference” or “hindrance” in 邪魔をしてしまい, describing something that got in the way of the meal. The expression 邪魔をする treats the interference as an action; here the pacing caused that interference.
を を marks 邪魔 as the object of する in 邪魔をしてしまい. Together, 邪魔をする means “interfere” or “get in the way.”
して して is the connecting form used in 邪魔をしてしまい, carrying 邪魔をする into the following しまい. It expresses the action of getting in the way as part of the larger apologetic construction.
しまい In してしまい, しまい adds the sense that the interference unfortunately ended up happening. It connects the regretted result to the apology 申し訳ありません.
申し訳ありません 申し訳ありません is a polite apology for having caused trouble or inconvenience. 申し訳 conveys that there is no excuse, while ありません completes the negative polite expression; together they form the apology rather than a literal statement about possession. It is appropriate when staff apologize to a customer.
忙しかった 忙しかった means “was busy” here, referring to the restaurant’s situation. It describes a completed or past busy condition and is followed by こと to treat that fact as something understood.
こと In 忙しかったことは, こと turns the statement 忙しかった into “the fact that it was busy.” This lets the speaker make that fact the topic with は. A reusable pattern is 〜たことを理解する, “understand the fact that 〜 happened.”
理解 理解 means “understanding” here as part of 理解しています, meaning that the speaker understands the busy situation. It is a noun-based expression used with する.
います In 理解しています, います indicates that the state of understanding continues. The speaker is saying that they do understand the situation, not merely that they understood it at one moment.
ただ ただ introduces the specific criticism after the speaker has acknowledged that the restaurant was busy. Here it means “however” or “but,” showing that the explanation does not remove the problem.
いくつか いくつか means “a few” or “several” here, referring to some of the courses. It gives an unspecified but limited number and is used before the noun it describes.
間 In 間を置かず, 間 means an interval or pause between events. It identifies the spacing that was not left before the courses continued.
置かず 置かず means “without leaving” in 間を置かず, so the courses were served without leaving an interval. It connects this lack of spacing to the following action 続けて出てきて.
続けて 続けて means “successively” or “one after another” here, describing courses arriving in close succession. It modifies the serving event and emphasizes the sequence of arrivals.
出て In 出てきて, 出て contributes the idea that the dishes came out or were served. It connects with きて to describe the dishes arriving at the table.
きて In 出てきて, きて adds the movement toward the current point, namely the diners’ table, and connects the arrival to the next clause. The whole expression describes dishes coming out and arriving one after another.
ほか ほか means “the others” here, referring to the courses not included among the ones that arrived too close together. It contrasts those courses with the preceding いくつかの料理.
遅れました 遅れました means “were delayed” or “lagged” here, describing the other courses arriving later than expected. The polite completed form reports the service problem without directly blaming a person.
テーブル テーブル means “table” here, referring to the whole dining table and the coordination of dishes served there. It is modified by 全体 in テーブル全体.
全体 全体 means “the whole” or “the entirety” here, so テーブル全体 means “the entire table.” It emphasizes coordination across all diners or courses rather than only one item.
で In テーブル全体で, で marks the scope or setting across which the coordination should have happened. It means that the matter should have been handled across the whole table.
もっと もっと means “more” here, increasing the degree of proper coordination. In もっときちんと, it asks for a higher standard than what actually occurred.
きちんと きちんと means “properly” or “carefully” here, describing how the courses should have been coordinated. It modifies 調整される and expresses an expectation of orderly service.
調整 調整 means “coordination” or “adjustment” here, referring to arranging the timing of service. In 調整される, it is the action that should have been carried out across the table.
される In 調整される, される presents 調整 as something done to the service arrangement: it should be coordinated. The form leaves the person responsible unspecified, keeping the focus on the process.
べき べき expresses what ought to have happened in 調整されるべきでした. Here it marks coordination as the proper expectation, not merely an optional improvement.
でした In べきでした, でした gives the polite past ending to the judgment that the service should have been coordinated. The completed form makes the statement about what was expected on that occasion.
特別 特別 means “special” or “extra” here, referring to treatment beyond the normal response. In 特別な対応, it describes the kind of response the guest says they are not requesting.
な な links 特別 to the noun 対応 in 特別な対応. It allows 特別 to describe the response as “special” or “extra.”
対応 対応 means “response” or “accommodation” here, referring to what the restaurant might do for the guest. 特別な対応 means an extra or special response rather than ordinary service.
求めて In 求めている, 求めて means “seeking” or “requesting,” referring to the guest asking for a response. It connects the action of requesting with the continuing state expressed by いる.
いる In 求めている, いる shows that the requesting is treated as an ongoing state. Together with わけではありません, it forms a polite denial that the guest is seeking extra treatment.
わけ In 求めているわけではありません, わけ is part of a construction that denies the conclusion that the guest is requesting something. It does not mean a separate physical “case” here; the whole expression means “it is not that I am seeking 〜.”
ありません In 求めているわけではありません, ありません completes the polite negative denial. Together with わけ, it softens the statement that the guest is not asking for special treatment.
何 何 means “what” in 何が起きたのか, asking about the event that occurred. It functions inside the embedded question rather than as a standalone question to the listener.
起きた 起きた means “happened” here, describing the event whose details the guest wants the staff to know. In 何が起きたのか, it forms the past event description inside an embedded question.
か In 何が起きたのか, か marks the embedded question “what happened.” It allows that question to function as the content of 知っておいていただきたかった.
知って 知って means “know” in 知っておいて, introducing the state the guest wanted the staff to retain. It connects to おいて, which adds the idea of keeping that knowledge in place.
おいて In 知っておいて, おいて adds the meaning of doing something in advance or keeping the result available. The guest wanted the staff to know what happened and keep that information in mind.
いただき In 知っておいていただきたかった, いただき is a humble and polite auxiliary showing that the speaker wanted to receive the listener’s action of knowing. It connects the respectful request to たかった.
たかった たかった means “wanted to” here, expressing the guest’s past wish that the staff know what happened. The desire is softened further by だけです, which says this was all the guest wanted.
だけ だけ means “only” or “just” in いただきたかっただけです. It limits the guest’s request to wanting the staff to know what happened, helping show that no special treatment is being demanded.
です です gives a polite ending to いただきたかっただけです. It presents the limited request in a calm and courteous way.
具体的 具体的 means “specific” or “concrete” here, describing the detail the guest provided about the timing problem. In 具体的に教えて, it modifies the act of explaining.
教えて 教えて means “tell” or “explain” in 具体的に教えていただけて. It is the action the staff appreciate receiving from the guest, and it connects to the polite benefactive form いただけて.
いただけて In 教えていただけてありがたい, いただけて expresses appreciation for being able to receive the guest’s explanation in a respectful way. The construction presents the guest’s telling as a favor received by the staff.
ありがたい ありがたい means “appreciated” or “grateful” here, describing the staff member’s response to the specific feedback. It is used after 教えていただけて to say that receiving the explanation is valuable.
私たち 私たち means “we” or “us” here, referring to the restaurant staff or organization. In 私たちが改善できる, it is the group capable of improving the issue.
改善 改善 means “improvement” or “improving” here, in the expression 改善できる. It identifies the action the restaurant can take regarding the service issue.
できる できる means “can” or “be able to” in 改善できる, stating that the restaurant has the ability to improve the problem. It follows 改善 to form a capability expression.
サービス サービス means “service” here, referring to the restaurant’s service operation rather than a personal manner. In サービス上の問題, it specifies the area in which the problem exists.
上 In サービス上の問題, 上 means “in terms of” or “from the standpoint of.” It forms a compound modifier identifying the problem as related to service.
問題 問題 means “problem” or “issue” here, referring to the service matter that can be improved. In 問題だと分かる, it is the content recognized by the staff.
だ In 問題だと分かる, だ is the plain copula linking 問題 with と and expressing “that it is a problem.” The plain form is used inside the quoted content of 分かる.
分かる 分かる means “become clear” or “be understood” here, explaining why the staff value the specific detail. The information makes it clear that the issue is something the restaurant can fix.
から から means “because” here and introduces the reason the staff appreciate the detail. It connects the explanation about the fixable service issue to ありがたい.
スタッフ スタッフ means “staff” here, referring to the restaurant employees as a group. In スタッフは, it is the topic of the comment about their conduct.
終始 終始 means “throughout” or “from beginning to end” here, emphasizing that the staff remained polite for the entire interaction. It modifies 丁寧でした.
丁寧 丁寧 means “polite” or “courteous” here, describing the staff’s manner throughout the visit. In 終始丁寧でした, it supports the distinction between personal conduct and an operational problem.
ので ので gives the reason in 終始丁寧でしたので: because the staff were polite throughout. It connects that observation to the conclusion that the issue seems operational rather than personal.
個人 個人 means “individual” or “personal” here, referring to a problem caused by a particular person’s behavior. In 個人の問題, it modifies 問題 through の.
という In 個人の問題というより, という presents 個人の問題 as a characterization or way of describing the issue. With より, the full expression contrasts that characterization with the one that follows.
より In 個人の問題というより運営上の問題, より marks the preferred characterization after a comparison. The speaker means “rather than a personal problem, it seems to be an operational problem.”
運営 運営 means “operation” or “management” here, referring to how the restaurant’s service is organized and run. In 運営上の問題, it identifies the issue as operational.
その その means “that” here and points back to the distinction just made between an operational problem and a personal problem. In その違い, it identifies the specific distinction the staff member will pass on.
違い 違い means “difference” or “distinction” here, referring to the difference between a personal issue and an operational one. It is the information the staff member plans to communicate to the manager.
店長 店長 means “restaurant manager” or “store manager” here, identifying the person who should receive the feedback. In 店長に, に marks the manager as the recipient of the information.
伝えます 伝えます means “will tell” or “will pass on” here, describing the staff member’s promise to communicate the distinction. A reusable pattern is 情報を人に伝えます, “I will pass the information on to someone.”

Grammar Points

〜てしまう

邪魔をしてしまい

jah-MAH oh shee-teh shee-MAH-ee

having gotten in the way

〜てしまう can express an unwanted or regrettable result. しまい is its connective form here.

〜ずに

間を置かずに

MAH oh oh-KAH-zoo nee

without leaving an interval

〜ずに means “without doing” and is a formal alternative to 〜ないで.

Japanese Vocabulary

ばらつき noun
bah-rah-TSOO-kee unevenness; inconsistency
間を置かずに phrase
MAH oh oh-KAH-zoo nee without leaving an interval; one right after another
間隔 noun
kahn-KAH-koo interval; spacing
邪魔をしてしまい verb
jah-MAH oh shee-teh shee-MAH-ee having gotten in the way
食事 noun
shoh-KOO-jee meal
続けて adv
tsoo-ZOO-keh-teh in succession; consecutively
遅れました verb
oh-KOO-reh-MAH-shee-tah was delayed; came late
調整される verb
choh-SAY sah-REH-roo be coordinated; be adjusted
提供のペース phrase
tay-KYOH noh PAY-soo pace of service
特別な対応 phrase
toh-koo-BET-soo nah tah-ee-OH special accommodation; special response
忙しかった adj
ee-soh-gah-SHEE-kaht-tah was busy
料理 noun
ryoh-ree dish; course

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

was busy

Show Answer忙しかった

unevenness; inconsistency

Show Answerばらつき

pace of service

Show Answer提供のペース

without leaving an interval; one right after another

Show Answer間を置かずに