「マギー先生、お休みをとったらどうですか？」
= マギーせんせい、おやすみをとったらどうですか？
= Maggie Sensei, oyasumi wo tottara dō desuka?
= Maggie Sensei, why don’t you take a vacation?
「じゃあ、お言葉に甘えて旅行に行ってきます！」
= じゃあ、おことばにあまえてりょうこうにいってきます！
= Jaa okotoba ni amaete ryokō ni itte kimasu!
=Then I will accept your nice suggestion and go traveling!
Hi everyone!
I will teach you a polite and useful phrase today.
It’s,
⭐️ お言葉に甘えて…
= おことばにあまえて…
= Okotoba ni amaete
It is often translated as “If you insist..” “If you say so,” but the nuance is a bit different because the literal meaning is
→I will let myself be spoiled with your kind words or I will let myself follow your nice words and the subject has to be the speaker.
•言葉 = ことば = kotoba = words, languages, what someone has said
→お言葉 ( = おことば = okotoba) is a polite form
•に = ni = indirect object marker
•甘える = あまえる = amaeru = to be spoiled, to be dependent on, to be indulged
→甘えて= あまえて = amaete = being spoiled, being dependent on…
You say this when someone offers you something “verbally” or suggest something nice for you and you accept that offer saying
➡️お言葉に甘えて
= おことばにあまえて
= Okotoba ni amaete
= I will accept your kind offer and…
Like in the picture above, someone told me to take a vacation. Sounds good to me! So I will follow the suggestion.
I finished the sentence with the consequence, 旅行に行く ( = りょこうにいく = ryokouni iku ) = to go traveling
➡️ お言葉に甘えて旅行に行ってきます。
= おことばにあまえてりょこうにいってきます。
= Okotoba ni amaete ryokō ni itte kimasu.
= Then I will accept your nice suggestion and go traveling!/ Then I will go traveling if you insist.
But a lot of the time, we don’t finish the sentence and just say
お言葉に甘えて…
= おことばにあまえて…
= Okotoba ni amaete…
= I will let myself take your nice advice and … (Literally: I will (let myself) be spoiled by your words.)
We sometimes prefer 曖昧表現 = あいまいひょうげん = aimai hyougen = vague expressions without saying something clearly.
It is a very polite and humble way to accept someone’s offer. It’s more polite than just saying
⬇️
有り難うございます。
= ありがとうございます。
= Arigatougozaimasu.
= Thank you very much.
I will show you more examples, :u:
Ex. A : 「これどうぞ受け取って下さい。」
= これどうぞうけとってください。
= Kore douzo uketotte kudasai.
= Please take this as a gift.
B : 「こんな高いもの頂けません。」
= こんなたかいものいただけません。
= Konna takai mono itadakemasen.
= I can’t take such an expensive thing.
Ex.A : 「そう言わずにどうぞ、どうぞ！」
= そういわずにどうぞ、どうぞ！
= Sou iwazu ni douzo, douzo!
= Oh don’t say that. Please take it.
B : 「そうですか？それではお言葉に甘えて（頂きます）。」
= そうですか？それではおことばにあまえて（いただきます）。
= Soudesuka ? Sore de wa okotoba ni amaete (itadakimasu).
= Are you sure? Well, if you insist. Thank you.
Ex.A : 「どうぞ温かいうちに召し上がって下さい。」
= どうぞあたたかいうちにめしあがってください。
= Douzo atatakai uchi ni meshiagatte kudasai.
= Please eat it while it’s hot.
B : 「どうもすみません。それではお言葉に甘えて（頂きます。）」
= どうもすみません。それではおことばにあまえて（いただきます。）
= Dōmo sumimasen. Soredewa okotoba ni amaete (itadakimasu).
= Thank you so much. If you insist…(I will eat it.)
Ex. A : 「もう遅いから今日はうちに泊まって行きなさい。」
= もうおそいからきょうはうちにとまっていきなさい。
= Mou osoi kara kyou wa uchi ni tomatte ikinasai.
= It’s late already so why don’t you stay over my house today.
B: 「御迷惑をおかけします。それではお言葉に甘えて(泊めて頂きます。）」
= ごめいわくをおかけします。それではおことばにあまえて（とめていただきます。）
= Gomeiwaku wo okake shimasu. Soredewa okotoba ni amaete (tomete itadakimasu.)
= I am sorry to trouble you. Then I will let myself stay at your place following your nice offer.
Ex. (at work)
A : 「ここは僕がやっておくからもう帰っていいよ。」
= ここはぼくがやっておくからもうかえっていいよ。
= Kokowa boku ga yatte okukara mou kaette iiyo.
= I will take care of this so you can go home now.
B: 「本当ですか？すみません。それではお言葉に甘えて(帰らせて頂きます。）」
= ほんとうですか？すみません。それではおことばにあまえて（かえらせていただきます。）
= Hontou desuka? Sumimasen. Soredewa okotoba ni amaete (kaerasete itadakimasu.)
= Really? Thank you. Then I will take advantage of your words (and go home).
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
お言葉に甘えて、明日からお休みを取って海外旅行に行ってきます！
= おことばにあまえて、あしたからおやすみをとってかいがいりょこうにいってきます！
= Okotoba ni amaete ashita kara oyasumi wo totte kaigairyokou ni itte kimasu!
= Taking advantage of your words, I will take a vacation and will abroad tomorrow.
私の休暇中、みんなはこのサイトで一生懸命勉強してね。
= わたしのきゅうかちゅう、みんなはこのサイトでいっしょうけんめいべんきょうしてね。
= Watashi no kyūkachuu minna wa kono saito de isshōkenmei benkyō shitene.
= Study hard, everyone while I am on vacation.
****
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26 Comments
This is really helpful, especially with all the different examples! Thank you!
Hi Rin,
Glad to hear you found this lesson helpful! ☺️
Can you add ありがとうございます in the end senteces that become like this
“お言葉に甘えてどうもありがとうございます”
Hi shiragiku,
You don’t say “お言葉に甘えてどうもありがとうございます” because the person who お言葉に甘える is the speaker so you can’t say
thank you for “taking up on your kind offer.”
You say,
お言葉に甘えます。
お言葉に甘えさせていただきます。
and then add ありがとうございます。 or よろしくお願いします・いたします。
I always search for things I don’t understand from my books, like grammars, expressions, etc. and most of the time like 80%, I always find my answers here in your website. I passed N5 last year and N4 this year, Now I am going for N3 this December 1, 2019, I am sure I will be using your website most of the time. Thank you very much and all this detailed informative lessons.
Also, the first comment I read here is from year 2011, now is 2019. I am sure another person will find this very useful in the future. Once again, Thank you very much Maggie Sensei. Have a great day ahead. ：－）
~アキ from Philippines
Hi アキ
Thank you for your comment. It means a lot to me.
I am so happy to hear you have been using this site.
Yeah, I can’t believe it has been 10 years since I started this site.
I really hope you pass N3. I am sure you will!!!
これからもがんばって勉強してくださいね！ 応援しています！ 💕
Hello,
is it the same meaning as “enryou naku itadakimasu”?
よろしくお願いします
The meaning is the same but the point of view is slightly different.
お言葉に甘えていただきます is showing some respect to the person who serves you food/gives you a gift
But 遠慮なくいただきます refers to your own action, taking, eating the food. I will do something without reservation. (Allow me to eat/take this gift)
わかりました
ありがとうございます
どういたしまして❤️
Thank you, that was really useful! Also, do’t know if anyone’s said before, but this site works excellently in mobile version :D
@SprockerTalker
Yes, you can use it when someone insists on offering something.
Good to hear it works with your mobile!
ありがとう!! It helped me a lot! I just love these lessons! Greetings from Hungary!
@heivazora
Hello heivazora!! Thank you for visiting this site from Hungary!!!
Thanks for your lessons Maggie sensei. They really help me.
Enjoy you vacation and return safely home.
Best regards from Czech Rebublic :) (please excuse my English)
Grace
@Grace
Thank you!! I’m very happy to read your comment! I’m having fun in France right now. I’d looove to visit Czech Republic one day,too!
Love this lesson!!有り難う。
@アリナ
Thank you for the comment! Will ,ake more interesting lesson when I come back!
I miss u soooooo much already >.<…. T___T
no Super Basic Words, no tweets, no homework!!! (yes, I even miss sensei's homework!!)
gahhhh you better be having a lot of fun over there so this all is worth it… and come back soon!!!
<3
@Aki
Hi Aki! Miss you,too! Lots of love from France! !heart!
A suggestion, at the end of each lesson, write the vocabulary used in the lesson.
Please consider my suggestion.
Thank you.
@Mari
Thank you for your suggestion. Since all my lessons are too long already I don’t think I can write all the vocabulary uses in the lesson. But at leas I will try to explain the vocab used in a core sentence.
もういっぺんありがとう、先生ェ：）Hope you have a nice and safe trip^_^
@寝ちゃま
ありがとう!! I’m having a great time!
Thanks for the lesson, Maggie-sensei! :D
Have a safe trip. ^^
@Amelie Thank you! Amellie! Will be back in a week!