How to Say ‘Could you keep it separate?’ in Japanese
分けていただけますか？
wake te itadake masu ka
[wah-KEH te i-ta-da-ke mahs kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Change a request verb to its て form and add いただけますか for a polite "could you…?": 待っていただけますか "could you wait?"
Phrase Breakdown
分け
wake
[wah-KEH]
to separate; to keep apart
Stem of 分ける, here meaning to keep things separate.
ゴミを分けてください。
Please separate the trash.
て
te
[te]
te-form ending
Connects actions in sequence, like 'and' or 'then'.
ドアが開いて、入ります。
The door opens, and then I go in.
いただけ
itadake
[i-ta-da-ke]
could you please
Respectfully asks someone to do something.
手伝っていただけますか。
Could you help me?
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
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