1. 麻烦你

麻烦你 (má fan nǐ) sorry to trouble you. 麻烦你 (má fan nǐ) often used as ‘sorry to trouble you..’ before asking a question or for someone’s help. The literal translation of 麻烦(má fan) is ‘troublesome’ or ‘annoying’ and using this kind of phrase shows respect to the other person. When using 麻烦你 (má fan nǐ), 我 or ‘I’ does not need to be used.

 

2. 不好意思

不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) = to feel embarrassed / to find it embarrassing / to be sorry (for inconveniencing somebody)

不好意思 can sometimes be used to apologize for doing something wrong. For example

 

不好意思，我迟到了。

 (bù hǎo yì si, wǒ chí dào le)

I’m sorry I’m so late.

 

不好意思

(bù hǎo yì si)

can also be used instead of

 

麻烦你

(má fan nǐ),

as a kind of ‘excuse me’.

 

 3. 对不起

对不起 (duì bu qǐ) = unworthy/to let down/

I’m sorry/excuse me/pardon me/if you please/sorry?

 

 对不起，今天我有急事，需要先走一步。

(duì bu qǐ, jīn tiān wǒ yǒu jí shì, xū yào xiān zǒu yī bù.)

 I’m sorry, I have to leave early to deal with something urgent.