At the Restaurant (9)
How to deal with problems (2)(1) When you are served something you didn't order, these expressions are used.
| Sumimasen, kore chigau n desu kedo. すみません、 これ違うんですけど。 | Excuse me, this is not what I ordered ... (Literally means, "This is wrong.") |
| Kore chuumon shinakatta n desu kedo. これ注文しなかったんですけど。 | I didn't order this ... |
| Kore chigau to omou n desu kedo. これ違うと思うんですけど。 | I think this is wrong ... |
In this situation, the verb plain form + "~ n desu" expresses the request in a milder tone. All the sentences have the nuance of "Could you check it again?" It sounds very direct without "~ n desu." However, it is hard to translate this subtle difference in English.
Compare these sentences.
| Kyou hayaku kaeritai. 今日早く帰りたい。 | I want to go home early today. |
| Kyou hayaku kaeritai n desu kedo ... 今日早く帰りたいんですけど。。。 | I would like to go home early today ... (and is it O.K.?) |
| Shitsumon ga arimasu. 質問があります。 | I have a question. |
| Shitsumon ga aru n desu kedo ... 質問があるんですけど。。。 | I have a question. (and can I ask you?) |
(2) When you want to make sure of the ingredients.
Most Japanese restaurants, except fancy ones, have a showcase near the entrance and display the dishes. They are usually made of wax or plastic and look very real. Even the restaurants that don't have a showcase often have pictures of the dishes in the menu. However, Japanese menus usually don't list all the ingredients on the menu. If you have an allergy or don't eat certain foods, ask with these expressions.
| Nani ga haitte iru n desu ka. 何が入っているんですか。 | What is in it? |
| Niku ga haitte imasu ka. 肉が入っていますか。 | Does it contain any meat? |
| Yasai dake no ryouri wa arimasu ka. 野菜だけの料理はありますか。 | Do you have any dishes with only vegetables? |
The idea of vegetarianism is not common, even though the Japanese diet is based on mainly vegetables and fish.
