Formal to Superior
Workplace · Reporting
複数の案件が重なっております。どちらを優先すればよろしいでしょうか。 — Several tasks are overlapping. Which should I prioritize? (Workplace · Reporting, Formal to Superior, JLPT N3)
You
複数の案件が重なっております。どちらを優先すればよろしいでしょうか。
ふくすうのあんけんがかさなっております。どちらをゆうせんすればよろしいでしょうか。
Several tasks are overlapping. Which should I prioritize?
Romaji: Fukusū no anken ga kasanatte orimasu. Dochira wo yūsen sureba yoroshii deshō ka. / Reply Romaji: Sōdesu ne, mazu A wo onegai shimasu.
Reply
そうですね、まずAをお願いします。
そうですね、まずAをおねがいします。
Let me see — please handle A first.
Gesture & etiquette
Have a brief written list of the conflicting tasks ready to show the superior. Present them in order of your own proposed priority and ask for confirmation — this saves the superior's time and shows initiative. Speak concisely; avoid lengthy explanations of the conflict.
Proactively raising priority conflicts — rather than silently failing to meet a deadline — is a sign of professional maturity in Japanese workplaces. This phrase is the 'Sō' (consult) step of Hō-Ren-Sō. Present your own proposed priority order before asking — managers appreciate when staff have already thought it through.