Tuesday, October 24, 2017

politeness - What to say when leaving the table before everybody else?


For example, while having lunch with your coworkers and you have to attend some matter soon, what would be a natural way to leave the table? I think that in this case saying お先に失礼します would be wrong.




Answer



I won't say お先に失礼します is completely out of place, but you should at least mention why you're leaving, so as to assure that you're not offended or anything:



すみません、片付けたい仕事がありますので、先に失礼します。



Abruptly announcing お先に失礼します is probably too closely tied to the idiomatic usage (when leaving work).


先に戻ります or 先に行きます can also work as a substitution for 先に失礼します.



すみません、やってしまいたいことがあるので、先に戻ります。




If you're unsure about which verb to use, just cut it short with a trailing ellipsis (see Axioplase's and Dave's answer):



すみません、ちょっと用事があるので...



If your colleagues already know you have something to attend to, or your KY radar is all clear, you can get as brief as:



じゃ、お先です。



Some people may think it's too informal for work, but you'll be ok as long as other people around you are using it.


ごちそうさまでした works best when you're eating your bentos together. See Dave's answer for a complete explanation.



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