Your Food Lands on the Counter and the Staff Apologizes to You. Nobody Did Anything Wrong.
To say Sorry to keep you waiting. in Japanese, say お待たせしました (omatase shimashita).
Your ramen lands on the counter and the guy behind it apologizes. You did not complain. Nobody did anything wrong.
In this video
- お待たせしました。 omatase shimashita. Staff: Sorry to keep you waiting.
- お待たせしました。どうも。 omatase shimashita. doumo. Staff: Sorry to keep you waiting. / You: Thanks.
Kanji in this phrase
- お待たせしました
- おまたせしました
Why this phrase
「お待たせしました」 is probably the most-heard staff line in Japan, and beginners consistently mishear it as a problem. It lands when your food arrives, when your coffee is ready, when the register reopens after a queue, sometimes after ten seconds of waiting. Recognizing it, and knowing that どうも is a complete reply, removes a small panic that happens several times a day.
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Beginner
▶
She Had to Walk Around for Your Chicken.
jibun de o-tori kudasai · Please take it yourself
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Your Train Is a Bus at the Curb.
basu daikō ga dete imasu · A replacement bus is running.
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She Said Take Your Time. You Stood Up.
go-yukkuri · Please take your time.
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Did You Catch That? The Door Is Four Cars From the Front. You Counted From the Back.
mae kara nan-ryōme desu ka? · Which car from the front?
More phrases like this
- Did You Catch That? Nodding in Akihabara Just Sold You a Warranty. · hoshō wa ikaga desu ka?
- Did You Catch That? You Nodded. That Was Not Large. · Nami de onegai shimasu
- That Sentence Means There Is No Seat. · washiki shika arimasen
- Her Long Goodbye Was Not a Question · mata okoshi kudasaimase
- Did You Catch That? That Train Will Skip Your Hotel. · kaisoku
- That Station Voice Is Not Being Polite. The Train Is Closer Than You Think. · Kiiroi sen made osagari kudasai
- Both Trains Say Yamanote. One of Them Is the Long Way Around. · uchimawari
- She Looked at Both of You and Said Three Syllables. She Is Not Asking If You Are Dating. · go-issho desu ka?
- The Doors Are Open. The Voice Just Said This Car Is Full. · man'in desu
- The Cart Lady Said One Sentence. You Have Eight Seconds. · shanai hanbai desu
- The Lights Just Dimmed and She Said One English Word. The Kitchen Is About to Close on You. · rasuto ōdā desu
- Your Suitcase Is in the Aisle. Six People Just Stepped Over It. That Shelf Is Empty on Purpose. · amidana ni agete kudasai
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