Some girls in the Japanese school I study in are planing to do a Maid Cafe,
which my teacher have sent me a message inviting me to take part into saying
「メイド喫茶に参加してみませんか？」. Honestly, I don't think I'm fit for the role, so I thought
in a polite way to refusing him. I have thought about many different phrases,
and now I think phrases like
「んん、私はそのような事があまり得意じゃないから、それはちょっと…。すみません。」or「んん、私はそのような事があまり得意じゃないから、それはちょっと無理です。すみません。」would
be appropriate. I plan sending the first one, but I would like to know if
using 無理 is unpolite and which other ways would be better to refuse an offer
and recognize the other's efforts. I have seen people using 「気持ちはうれしいけど…」, but
it seems way too personal to me.

I know he is my teacher and all, but the first semester has already ended and
he won't be my teacher anymore next semester, so I would like to write
properly.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-01T19:37:35.797
69213
2019-07-01T21:42:38.837
32264
question
politeness
Declining an offer politely using ちょっと and 無理
As you mentioned, 無理 is bit too straight and I would avoid using it in a
conversation with a teacher. I think your first phrase,

> んん、私はそのような事があまり得意じゃないから、それはちょっと…。すみません。

sounds more polite. Although this phrase is fine in a spoken language, it is
bit too vague in a text/email message. I would use 遠慮 instead of 無理 and say
something
like「誘っていただきありがとうございます。ただ、私はそのような事があまり得意でないので、申し訳ないのですが今回は遠慮させていただきます。」
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-01T21:42:38.837
69215
2019-07-01T21:42:38.837
33423
69213
answer