How to Say ‘Excuse me, are you free right now?’ in Traditional Chinese
不好意思，你現在有空嗎？
bù hǎo yì sī nǐ xiàn zài yǒu kòng ma
[boo how ee suh nee shyen-dzai yoe-kohng mah]
Phrase Breakdown
不好意思，
bù hǎo yì sī
excuse me / sorry to bother you
不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is a polite way to get someone's attention. 不 changes to the second tone here. Pause briefly after it.
不好意思，請問廁所在哪裡？
Excuse me, where is the restroom?
Words in this phrase
不好意思
bù hǎo yì sī
[boo how ee suh]
excuse me; sorry to bother you
A polite opener used to get someone's attention gently, especially with strangers or in social settings like a bar.
不好意思，你今天的穿搭真的很好看。
Excuse me, your outfit looks really great today.
你現在
nǐ xiàn zài
you now
你 (nǐ) means 'you' and 現在 (xiànzài) means 'now'.
你現在忙嗎？
Are you busy now?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
A singular 'you' used to address another person politely or casually depending on context.
你好，請問你今天有空嗎？
Hello, do you have time today?
現在
xiàn zài
[shyen-dzai]
now; at the moment
Refers to the present time or current situation.
我現在每天都早睡。
I go to bed early every day now.
有空嗎？
yǒu kòng ma
are (you) free?
有空 (yǒu kòng) means 'to have free time'. 嗎 (ma) makes it a question.
週末有空嗎？
Are you free this weekend?
Words in this phrase
有空
yǒu kòng
[yoe-kohng]
to be free; to have time
Used to ask whether someone is available.
你明天有空嗎？
Are you free tomorrow?
嗎
ma
[mah]
question particle (yes/no questions)
Used at the end of a sentence to ask a yes/no question. In holiday talk: 有吃年夜飯嗎？
你有吃年夜飯嗎？
Did you have the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner?
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