Four Minutes to the Last Train. Don't Ask Where. Ask This.
To say can I still make it in time? in Japanese, say まだ間に合いますか？ (mada ma ni aimasu ka?).
You're at the gate with a ticket and four minutes left. The useful question isn't where the platform is, it's whether you've already lost.
In this video
- すみません、まだ間に合いますか？ sumimasen, mada ma ni aimasu ka? Excuse me, can I still make it?
- はい、間に合いますよ。 hai, ma ni aimasu yo. Yes, you'll make it.
Kanji in this phrase
- 間に合い
- まにあい
- 難しい
- むずかしい
Why this phrase
A ticket gate near midnight. Kōfuku plays the traveller holding up his ticket, Hana plays the station attendant. He asks まだ間に合いますか, can I still make it, and she gives him the answer that decides whether he runs or stops running. One yes-or-no question that works at gates, ferry piers, museums and last-order counters.
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More phrases like this
- You Booked Two Shinkansen Tickets. Japan Gave You Two Seats in Different Rows. · sumimasen, seki, kawatte moraemasen ka?
- The Konbini Clerk Asks You Something Before They Scan Anything. It's Not About Money. · pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka?
- Japanese Hotels Ask Every Foreign Guest for the Same Thing. It Is Not Your Booking. · pasupōto o onegai shimasu
- A Stranger in Japan Will Ask You One Question. Most Tourists Just Smile and Nod. · sugoku tanoshii desu
- "Sorry, We Are Full." In Japan That Is Not the End of the Conversation. · kyanseru-machi wa dekimasu ka?
- Your Ryokan Is a Two Thousand Yen Taxi From the Station. It Also Runs a Free Van. · sougei basu wa arimasu ka?
- The Karaoke Desk Asks One Thing Before They Hand You a Room. · nijikan de onegai shimasu
- Someone Thanks You in Japan. The Word You Memorized Is Not the One They Use. · ieie
- Two ATMs on the Same Street in Japan. Only One Takes Your Foreign Card. · kaigai no kaado wa tsukaemasu ka?
- Everything at a Japanese Izakaya Lands on One Giant Plate. Nobody Tells You to Ask for This. · torizara o kudasai
- Booked a Ryokan? Breakfast Is Half the Reason You Came. Ask What Time It Starts. · asagohan wa nanji desu ka
- At a Japanese Konbini, the Clerk Asks About a Bag. Saying No Saves You Money. · fukuro wa irimasen
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