How to Say ‘Could you turn it down a bit?’ in Japanese
もう少し小さくしてもらえますか。
mou sukoshi chiisaku shi te morae masu ka
[MOH soo-koh-shee CHEE-sah-koo shee teh mo-ra-e mahs ka]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding てもらえますか to an action turns it into a soft "could you…?" request: 待ってもらえますか "could you wait?".
Phrase Breakdown
もう少し
mou sukoshi
a little more
もう (mou) + 少し (sukoshi) means 'a bit more'. Hold the long 'ou', and keep the 'u' in 'su' soft.
もう少し待ってください。
Please wait a little more.
Words in this phrase
もう
mou
[MOH]
a bit more
Adverb meaning 'more'; with 少し it means 'a little more'.
もう少し待ってください。
Please wait a little longer.
少し
sukoshi
[soo-koh-shee]
a little; a bit
少し（すこし） means “a little.” Useful to describe mild pain, slight nausea, a small amount of fever, etc.
おなかが少し痛いです。
My stomach hurts a little.
小さくして
chiisaku shi te
turn it down
Te-form of 小さくする, 'to make quieter/smaller'. Say chii-sa-ku-shi-te, holding the long 'ii'.
字を小さくしてください。
Please make the letters smaller.
Words in this phrase
小さく
chiisaku
[CHEE-sah-koo]
small; quiet (adverbial form)
Adverbial form of 小さい; with する it means to make something smaller or quieter.
テレビの音を小さくします。
I turn the TV down.
し
shi
[shee]
do; make
The verb stem of する, attached to 交換 to form the action 'to exchange.'
名刺を交換したいです。
I want to exchange business cards.
て
te
[teh]
te-form ending
This ending connects actions, like 'cut and...' in instructions.
てをつけると、つぎのどうさにつなげられます。
When you add -te, you can connect it to the next action.
もらえますか。
morae masu ka
could you?
A polite way to ask someone to do something. Your voice rises gently on か (ka).
窓を閉めてもらえますか。
Could you close the window?
Words in this phrase
もらえ
morae
[mo-ra-e]
receive (benefit)
To obtain or get something, usually a service or information.
説明をもらえますか？
Can I receive an explanation?
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
[ka]
question particle
Used to create a yes/no question in informal speech.
行くか？
Shall we go?
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