不好意思 那天我正好也没空
“Sorry, I happen to be busy that day too.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
那金总呢 金总
“What about you, Mr. Jin?”
不好意思 那天我 正好 也 没空
“Sorry, I happen to be busy that day too.”
那太可惜了
“That's a real pity.”
“I cannot or do not wish to attend, so I am offering a polite schedule excuse.”
Direct rejections are considered abrasive in Chinese business culture; claiming to 'not have time' (没空) softens the blow and preserves mutual face.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
excuse me / sorry
A versatile polite buffer used before delivering negative news or a refusal.
coincidentally also not free
A polite formula to turn down an invitation without causing loss of face.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Sorry, I'll just... It's fine.”
“excuse me. Sorry to bother you. Where can I find”
“Sorry. I'm not feeling very well today.”
“I'm sorry. Your interview hasn't started yet.”
“Sorry, I'm rushing a draft. I don't have time to chat.”
“Excuse me, can I get through?”