How to negotiate a decision in Japanese: propose, object, agree

Level B2

How to negotiate a decision in Japanese: propose, object, agree

Your team has to move a meeting, and not everyone wants the same thing. This lesson requires no new grammar form: you already have what you need to propose, object, ask and report. The one idea is that a negotiation is made of five moves: propose, object, offer an alternative, agree, and tell whoever wasn't there. You will use them in three situations, so that they work beyond one example.

Recap: the pieces you already have

ませんか proposes something to the other person: 一緒に行きませんか (issho ni ikimasen ka), “why don't we go together?”. たら with かもしれません says what might follow if something happens: 雨が降ったら、電車も遅れるかもしれません (ame ga futtara, densha mo okureru kamoshiremasen), “if it rains, the train might be late too”. なら picks up what has just been said and responds to it: 公園に行くなら、バスのほうがいいですよ (kōen ni iku nara, basu no hō ga ii desu yo), “if you're going to the park, the bus is better”.

そうです reports what you heard, so the fact is not presented as yours: あのカフェは閉まっているそうです (ano kafe wa shimatte iru sō desu), “I hear that café is closed”. それはちょっと難しいです (sore wa chotto muzukashii desu), “that's not going to work”, turns something down gently. ことになりました gives the outcome of a decision: 会議は火曜日にすることになりました (kaigi wa kayōbi ni suru koto ni narimashita), “it's been decided to hold the meeting on Tuesday”. Say these six sentences aloud before going on.

Today's words

代わりに (kawari ni) means “instead”, and Xの代わりに (X no kawari ni) means “instead of X”. 賛成です (sansei desu) means “I agree” with a proposal or an opinion; its plain form is 賛成だ (sansei da). 確認する (kakunin suru) is to confirm that the details of an arrangement are right. 伝える (tsutaeru) is to tell someone a piece of information; that person takes に (ni). お客さん (okyakusan) is a customer, and 少ない (sukunai) means few. 休み (yasumi) is a day off, or a day when a place is closed. 場所 (basho) is a place, and 授業 (jugyō) is a class. 借りる (kariru), which you already use for borrowing, is also to rent when you are the one paying, as with a car; English “rent” works for both sides, and whoever provides the car uses 貸す (kasu). 代わりに, 確認する, 休み, 場所 and 授業 come back from earlier lessons, along with 案 (an), a proposal, and 会議 (kaigi), a meeting.

Model: a café team moves its meeting

Listen once without reading. At today's meeting, two colleagues at a café discuss the day of their meetings, which are on Monday mornings for now. A wants to change the day and B has a problem with the new day. They end up with a third option.

Then read it. 来週から (raishū kara) means “starting next week”. 水曜日にしたら (suiyōbi ni shitara) means “if we make it Wednesday”. 待たせる (mataseru) is the causative of 待つ (matsu, to wait): to keep someone waiting. 今日休みのレオさん (kyō yasumi no Reo-san) means “Leo, who's off today”.

Five moves, one decision

Every line of the model belongs to one of five moves, or helps one along.

Propose. 一つ案があります (hitotsu an ga arimasu) announces a proposal, 会議を水曜日の朝にしませんか makes it, and the sentence ending in から gives the reason.

Object. B first accepts the idea, then brings a fact and a consequence: いい案だと思います。でも、… (ii an da to omoimasu. Demo, …).

Offer an alternative. B does not stop at the problem: 水曜日の代わりに、火曜日の午後はどうですか.

Agree. A accepts that option, 火曜日の午後なら、賛成です, and B checks what was agreed.

Report. Leo was not there, so A takes on telling him: 今日休みのレオさんには、私が伝えます.

The lines in between gather information. じゃあ、いつがいいと思いますか asks for an opinion, 火曜日の午後は、お客さんが少ないですか checks a fact, and アナさんによると… answers with its source. So before you speak, ask yourself which move you need, then build the sentence with what you know.

Objecting: keep the proposal, name the problem

いい案だと思います (ii an da to omoimasu), “I think it's a good proposal”, shows you have taken the idea seriously, and でも (demo) brings in the objection. In this lesson an objection always comes with something the other person can discuss: a fact, a consequence or a reason.

Choose the link by how the consequence relates to the plan. と (to) is for what regularly happens: 雨が降ると、バスはよく遅れます (ame ga furu to, basu wa yoku okuremasu). たら with かもしれません is for what could happen if the plan goes ahead: 水曜日にしたら、お客さんを待たせるかもしれません.

それはちょっと難しいです is shorter and gentler, but by itself it gives the other person nothing to work with, so add the reason afterwards, as you will hear in the second dialogue.

The pattern: instead of this, how about that?

You can already open a sentence with 代わりに: 代わりに、火曜日の午後はどうですか (kawari ni, kayōbi no gogo wa dō desu ka). That is enough when everyone knows what is changing. Xの代わりに is a small extension of the same word, for saying so out loud: it names what your alternative replaces and then offers something else: Xの代わりに、Yはどうですか (X no kawari ni, Y wa dō desu ka). After a noun, の is required: 水曜日代わりに is wrong. Naming X keeps it clear which part of the plan is changing. Replace the two nouns to fit your situation: バスの代わりに、電車はどうですか (basu no kawari ni, densha wa dō desu ka), カフェの代わりに、図書館はどうですか (kafe no kawari ni, toshokan wa dō desu ka). どうですか (dō desu ka) is the same “how about…?” you use for any suggestion.

水曜日の代わりに、火曜日の午後はどうですか

Agreeing, then checking

なら picks up the option just offered and 賛成です accepts it: 火曜日の午後なら、賛成です, “if it's Tuesday afternoon, I agree”. The なら limits your yes to that option. With 電車なら、賛成です (densha nara, sansei desu) you accept the train, not the discussion as a whole.

An agreement is safer once both people have said the same thing. 確認してもいいですか (kakunin shite mo ii desu ka), “may I confirm that?”, is 確認する in the permission pattern てもいいですか. Then say only what was agreed and finish with ね (ne), which asks the other person to confirm: 来週から、会議は火曜日の午後ですね.

The message for someone who wasn't there

Leo missed the discussion and does not need all of it. After an opening line, the message gives him four things.

What was decided. ことになりました gives the outcome without saying who decided: 来週から、会議は火曜日の午後にすることになりました.

Why. からです (kara desu) gives the reason for what was just said. いて (ite), the て form of います, joins the two reasons in one sentence. Then comes the source: アナさんによると、…そうです. Compare it with 火曜日の午後はお客さんが少ないです (kayōbi no gogo wa okyakusan ga sukunai desu): this sentence states it as your own fact, but it is what Ana said. Keep によると and そう.

What is still open. まだ決めていません (mada kimete imasen) says it has not been decided yet. Say so instead of guessing.

What you need from him. レオさんは火曜日の午後に来られますか. レオさん works here as “you”.

Every fact in this message was said in the model. Use that as your check: a fact that wasn't said in the discussion doesn't go in the message.

Same moves, another situation: renting a car

Now a customer, A, talks to a clerk at a car rental, B, and the subject is price. Listen and find the moves yourself. 少し高いです。五千円になりませんか (sukoshi takai desu. Gosen en ni narimasen ka) objects to the price and proposes another. なりませんか literally asks “won't it become…?”. The clerk refuses gently, gives a reason and offers an alternative with the same pattern you already know. いかがですか (ikaga desu ka) is the politer どうですか a clerk says to a customer. 金曜日で、五千円ですね (kin'yōbi de, gosen en desu ne) joins two details with で (de), the て form of です.

One thing changes. The customer doesn't say 賛成です, which agrees with a proposal in a discussion. Here the customer is choosing what to buy, so the sentence is 金曜日にします (kin'yōbi ni shimasu), “Friday, then”.

Your turn and summary

First, a report. A colleague wasn't at the car rental. Before you read the first sentence below, tell them in Japanese what was decided, why, and the price. Then compare.

Now a third situation: a class wants to meet at the library on Friday. Try each move aloud before reading its sentence. Propose the library. Object: it is closed on Fridays. Offer Thursday. Agree. Then report the outcome to someone who wasn't there.

To sum up: propose, with a reason if you have one, object with something the other person can discuss, name what your alternative replaces, confirm what was agreed, and report what was decided, why and what is still open, adding no fact that wasn't said.

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