Chinese phrase
能占用您〜分钟吗？ néng zhàn yòng nín 〜 fēn zhōng ma
Meaning
May I have ___ minutes of your time?
When to use it
Politely asks to use someone's time for several minutes. It often introduces a question or request in a respectful conversation.
Example dialogue
能占用您十分钟吗？想请教奖学金申请的问题。 néng zhàn yòng nín shí fēn zhōng ma xiǎng qǐng jiào jiǎng xué jīn shēn qǐng de wèn tí
May I have ten minutes of your time? I would like to ask about the scholarship application.
我现在要开会，能改天约时间吗？ wǒ xiàn zài yào kāi huì néng gǎi tiān yuē shí jiān ma
I have a meeting now. Could we arrange a time for another day?