Polite to Stranger
Cultural · Communication
ご無理を承知でお願いするのですが、明日までにご返信いただくことは可能でしょうか。 — I know I'm asking the impossible, but would it be possible to receive your reply by tomorrow? (Cultural · Communication, Polite to Stranger, JLPT N3)
You
ご無理を承知でお願いするのですが、明日までにご返信いただくことは可能でしょうか。
ごむりをしょうちでおねがいするのですが、あすまでにごへんしんいただくことはかのうでしょうか。
I know I'm asking the impossible, but would it be possible to receive your reply by tomorrow?
Romaji: Go-muri o shōchi de onegai suru no desu ga, asu made ni go-henshin itadaku koto wa kanō deshō ka. / Reply Romaji: Wakarimashita. Asuchū ni go-henshin sashiagemasu.
Reply
わかりました。明日中にご返信差し上げます。
わかりました。あすちゅうにごへんしんさしあげます。
Understood. I'll reply by tomorrow.
Gesture & etiquette
Email or in-person request. If in person, slight forward lean, apologetic expression, hand slightly raised in a 'I know, I know' gesture. After receiving accommodation, follow up with explicit thanks: 'osore irimasu, tasukarimasu' (excuse me, that's a huge help).
Gomuri o shouchi de' (knowing this is asking too much) is the heavyweight preamble for genuinely difficult requests. By naming the imposition upfront, you give the listener emotional permission to decline or push back. Use this for genuine emergencies or tight deadlines you've already tried to avoid imposing — overuse makes it lose impact.