Translation guide
The English word "stall" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: delaying or avoiding action, a market booth, an engine stopping, and a shower compartment. Each meaning requires different Japanese expressions.
To intentionally delay doing something, avoid giving a clear answer, or cause a delay.
Literally 'to earn time'. The most common and natural way to say you are stalling for time.
彼は質問に答えずに時間を稼いでいる。
He's stalling for time without answering the question.
To drag out or prolong something, often a conversation or negotiation.
交渉を引き延ばそうとしている。
They're trying to stall the negotiations.
To dawdle or dilly-dally, often used when someone is stalling by being slow.
ぐずぐずしてないで早く決めて。
Stop stalling and make a decision.
To dodge a question or evade giving a direct answer, often to stall.
彼は質問をはぐらかした。
He stalled by dodging the question.
A small temporary structure or table used to sell goods, especially at a market or fair.
A food stall or stand, often mobile, found at festivals or streets.
祭りで屋台がたくさん出ている。
There are many stalls at the festival.
A small shop or stand, often inside a station, stadium, or facility.
A street stall or open-air market stand, often temporary.
Loanword from English, used for exhibition booths or fair stalls.
When a vehicle's engine suddenly stops working, often due to improper clutch use or mechanical failure.
Abbreviation of 'engine stall'. The standard casual term for stalling a car.
坂道でエンストした。
I stalled on the hill.
Literally 'the engine stops'. A more formal or descriptive way to say the engine stalled.
急にエンジンが止まってしまった。
The engine suddenly stalled.
Direct loanword from English 'stall', used in technical contexts like aviation or engineering.
飛行機がストールした。
The plane stalled.
A small enclosed area for showering, often separate from the bathtub.
A shower room or stall, commonly used in gyms or public baths.
ジムのシャワー室を使った。
I used the shower stall at the gym.
Loanword combination, often used for individual shower stalls in modern facilities.
プールにシャワーブースがある。
There are shower stalls at the pool.
While 'stall' often means to delay, it implies a deliberate or evasive action. For simple delays, use 遅れる (おくれる) or 遅延 (ちえん).
屋台 is typically a movable food stall at festivals. 売店 is a fixed small shop inside a building. 露店 is a temporary open-air stall, often for non-food items.
駅の売店で飲み物を買った。
I bought a drink at the station stall.
They sell vegetables at a street stall.
We reserved a stall at the trade show.