excuse oneself
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- 1 excuse oneself、beg off
A courteous expression used to excuse yourself, whether you are leaving, stepping away briefly, or declining to take part in something.
excuse oneself、beg off
Used to politely remove yourself from a situation by leaving, stepping away for a moment, or declining an invitation or activity.
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ขอตัวก่อนนะครับ khɔ̌ɔ tua kɔ̀ɔn ná khráp Please excuse me; I’ll be leaving now. ขอตัวก่อนนะครับ details
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ขอตัวสักครู่นะคะ khɔ̌ɔ tua sàk khrûu ná khá Please excuse me for a moment. ขอตัวสักครู่นะคะ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The expression combines ขอ, “to ask or request,” with ตัว, “oneself.” Its underlying image is asking to be excused from the present situation. Common patterns include ขอตัวก่อน for leaving before others, ขอตัวกลับก่อน for going home early, ขอตัวสักครู่ for stepping away briefly, and ขอตัวไป followed by the action you are leaving to do. Adding นะครับ in male speech or นะคะ in female speech makes the expression sound softer and more courteous.
Usage
It is commonly used when leaving a dinner, meeting, visit, or social gathering before others. It also works when briefly stepping away to use the restroom or take a call, and when politely declining to join an invitation or activity.
Caution
This normally refers to the speaker excusing themself; it does not ask someone else to leave. ขอตัว on its own can sound abrupt, so it is commonly followed by ก่อน, สักครู่, กลับก่อน, or another phrase explaining the departure, often with a polite sentence ending. In a separate construction, ขอ + ตัว + a word for a person can literally mean requesting that person’s presence or custody; this should not be confused with the idiomatic expression for excusing oneself.
Differences from similar words
1 excuse oneself synonyms
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ขออนุญาต is a general expression for asking permission to do something. ขอตัว specifically excuses the speaker from a place, conversation, or activity.