How to Say ‘Excuse me, may I ask’ in Simplified Chinese
麻烦问一下
má fán wèn yī xià
[mah-fahn wun ee shyah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding 一下 (yí xià) after a verb softens it to "just quickly", which makes a request sound lighter. Try 看一下 "take a quick look". Here 一 is read (yí) because a falling tone follows.
Phrase Breakdown
麻烦
má fán
[mah-fahn]
please; sorry to trouble you
A polite expression used before making a request to a customer.
麻烦您留一下电话，我们好确认订位。
Please leave your phone number so we can confirm the reservation.
问
wèn
[wun]
to ask
A common verb for asking a question.
我想问一下取消的规定。
I’d like to ask about the cancellation policy.
一下
yī xià
[ee shyah]
a bit; briefly
Softens the verb to sound more polite and natural.
我帮您看一下有没有位子。
I’ll check for you whether there are seats available.
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