Chinese phrase
我现在得先把手头的事做完 wǒ xiàn zài děi xiān bǎ shǒu tóu de shì zuò wán
Meaning
I need to finish the work at hand first
When to use it
Current work needs to be finished before something else. It often politely explains a delayed reply or postponed conversation.
Example dialogue
我现在得先把手头的事做完，可能要晚一点回复你。 wǒ xiàn zài děi xiān bǎ shǒu tóu de shì zuò wán kě néng yào wǎn yì diǎn huí fù nǐ
I need to finish the work at hand first, so I may take a little longer to reply.
没关系，你先忙，等你有空再说。 méi guān xì nǐ xiān máng děng nǐ yǒu kòng zài shuō
No problem. Take care of your work first, and we can talk when you have time.