Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Number of guests

🇯🇵 Many izakaya and Japanese restaurants have private rooms, and groups often request one. Sometimes a room charge or a minimum group size applies, so it's worth asking.

💬 まで after a number means "up to": 二時まで "until two o'clock". 8名 is said (hachi-mei).

💬 てしまう added to a verb signals that the result is unfortunate or unwanted. Here it shows that splitting the group up would be a shame, not just a fact.

🇯🇵 This is a gentle, standard way to push back when the answer is no without sounding demanding. It invites the staff to look for an alternative.

🇯🇵 Starting a request with できれば makes it sound like a preference rather than a demand, for example できれば個室で "a private room if possible". This kind of softening is expected when you ask for something special.

💬 でしたら is the polite form of だったら "if that's so". Staff often use it to start offering an alternative right after you explain your situation.

🇯🇵 A お座敷 means sitting on tatami, so you take off your shoes before stepping up. Wear socks without holes, and expect low tables.

🇯🇵 This is a warm, natural way to thank someone who has accommodated you. It sounds less stiff than a plain "thank you" and shows you appreciate the effort.

💬 Use とりあえず for a provisional choice, like とりあえず四名で "four for now". It's also famous from とりあえずビール "a beer to start" when ordering.

🇯🇵 Staff use this very polite "understood" with customers. As a customer, you'd just say わかりました or はい.

💬 ましたら attached to a verb means "once ... happens" and is a polite form of たら. You can reuse it, as in 着きましたら "once I arrive".

💬 までに means "by" (a deadline), while まで alone means "until". Compare 五時までに "by five" with 五時まで "until five".

💬 中に (jū ni) after a time word means "sometime within": 今日中に "sometime today". ご連絡します is a humble way of saying "I'll contact you".

💬 おります replaces います when you speak humbly about yourself or your side. Staff use it about themselves, as in お待ちしております.

🇯🇵 Restaurants almost always close a reservation call with this. It's your cue that everything is settled, and you can reply with よろしくお願いします "thank you, I'm counting on you".

💬 Literally it means "I'm being rude", as in excusing yourself for leaving. The same phrase is used when you enter or leave a room.

🇯🇵 This is the standard polite way to end a phone call in Japan, rather than さようなら. Wait for the other person to hang up first if you can.