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How to Say ‘I'm very sorry, ours inside is narrow.’ in Japanese

申し訳ございません、店内のは狭くて。

moushiwake gozai mase n tennai no wa semaku te

[moh-shee-WAH-keh goh-zah-ee mah-seh n tennai noh wah seh-MAH-koo teh]

🇯🇵 In Japan: Staff often open with an apology before saying something isn't available. It's politeness, not a sign that the problem is serious.

Phrase Breakdown

申し訳ございません、

moushiwake gozai mase n

I am very sorry,

A very polite apology used by staff. Say it smoothly as mōshiwake gozaimasen. The final 'n' is soft.

Example

申し訳ございません、満席です。

I'm very sorry, we are fully booked.

Words in this phrase

申し訳

moushiwake

[moh-shee-WAH-keh]

excuse; apology

Formal word for an excuse; used in very polite apologies.

Example

申し訳ありません。

I'm very sorry.

ござい

gozai

[goh-zah-ee]

to be; to exist (polite part of expression)

A polite verb stem used in set phrases like greetings to sound respectful.

Example

あいさつでは、ございをていねいに言います。

In greetings, you say gozai politely.

ませ

mase

[mah-seh]

polite negative (part of ません)

「ませ」 is part of 「ません」, the polite negative form.

Example

はいていません。

I haven’t vomited.

ん

[n]

Negative verb ending

The ending used to make the verb negative in a sentence.

Example

私は行きません。

I am not going.

店内のは狭くて。

tennai no wa semaku te

the one inside the restaurant is narrow.

店内 (tennai) means 'inside the shop'. の here means 'the one'. 狭くて (semakute) means 'is narrow, so...' and softly trails off as an excuse.

Example

この部屋は狭くて。

This room is a bit small, you see.

Words in this phrase

店内

tennai

[tennai]

inside the store

Refers to the interior of a store.

Example

店内でお待ちください。

Please wait inside the store.

の

[noh]

the one (pronoun)

Nominalizer replacing a noun already understood, like 'the one'.

Example

赤いのをください。

The red one, please.

は

[wah]

topic marker

は marks the topic of the sentence.

Example

空席はありますか。

Are there any seats available?

狭く

semaku

[seh-MAH-koo]

narrow; small

Adverbial/te stem of 狭い, narrow or cramped.

Example

道が狭くて通れません。

The road is narrow, so I can't pass.

て

[teh]

and; -te form

A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.

Example

仕事を探している人と話しました。

I spoke with a person who is looking for work.

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