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VeritasKhan (Offline)
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Chotto Matte? - Wait a minute (usage question) - 12-14-2017, 05:53 PM

In English, you can "Wait a minute..." to yourself, when you've had a sudden insight (or think you have).

For example, a detective in a murder mystery might say, "Wait a minute..." when he suddenly realizes how various clues implicate a suspect.

Another example: A policeman is looking for a bad guy. The policeman walks by the bad guy, but doesn't recognize him because the bad guy is wearing a disguise. Then suddenly, the policeman realizes the person he just passed looked suspicious and says: "Wait a minute..."

How do you express this in Japanese? Could it be one of the following?
ちょっとまって - chotto matte?
ちょっと - chotto?
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12-15-2017, 10:56 AM

When a detective find some idea by himself, he would say "MATEYO?:may I think it again?" to himself.

If the detective find someone suspected, he would say "O!?: (can not be translated)" to himself. In this case "MATEYO?" can not be used.

No one would say "Chotto Matte" in these cases because it is used only to other person(s).


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Last edited by RadioKid : 12-15-2017 at 10:01 PM. Reason: added last line
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