Hey there Kenji!
ユーコネクトの英語コーチのアーサーです！
※ コミュニケーションのコツ ※
優しく断りたいときに、断る理由と言って長い「and..」で終わります。
それを言うと、相手は空気を読み、「行けない」というメッセージが伝わります。
※ [仕事](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/37171/)が[たくさん](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/52964/)あって ※
There's a lot of work.
I have a lot of work.
また、英語でよく「I have to go」「I gotta do」と言います。意味が一緒なので使い分けを気にしないでください。
また「忙しい」と言うと、
I'm busy with と言います。
I'm busy with work
仕事で忙しい
So you can say...
I have a lot of work to do and...
There's a lot of work I gotta do and...
There's a lot of work I have to do and...
There's a lot of work I'm busy with and...
いろんな組み合わせができます。
よろしくお願いします！
アーサーより
(be) tied up with ~ = ～で動きが取れない、～で[手が離せない](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/7688/)
"tie up" は「[縛りつける](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/15813/)、がんじんがらめにする」という意味なので、そこからイメージできると思います。
(be) up to (one's) ears in ~ = ～漬けだ、～に忙殺されている
こちらは「足元から耳の所まで～に浸かっている」というイメージです。
Your friends have arranged a camping trip to the mountains for the weekend. You thought you would be able to go with them but your boss asked you to come into the office to help with the annual auditing of all the office equipment. You felt you could not refuse! You explain to your friends:
"I'd love to go with you, but I have to work!"
あなたの友達が山でキャンプを計画しているとします。あなたも参加できると思っていましたが、
ボスからすべてのオフィス部品の年次監査を手伝ってほしいと頼まれてしまいます。
断るわけにはいきません！仕方なく友人に一言：
"I'd love to go with you, but I have to work!"
（すごく行きたかったけど仕事で行けない！）
Sorry "Yuri" I have to catch up on my work this weekend. Maybe next time.
>Sorry "Yuri" I have to catch up on my work this weekend. Maybe next time.
This explains that you have a lot of work that you need to do.
Saying "next time" means that you will join them next time when they go again.
Example
Yuri:Hey, You want to join me on a trip to Tokyo this weekend?
You:Sorry "Yuri" I have to catch up on my work this weekend. Maybe next time.
Sorry "Yuri" I have to catch up on my work this weekend. Maybe next time.
多くの仕事があって忙しいことを意味する表現です。
「next time」とは次回参加するという意味です。
例えば以下のように使うことができます。
Yuri:Hey, You want to join me on a trip to Tokyo this weekend?
今週の東京旅行にいきませんか？
You:Sorry "Yuri" I have to catch up on my work this weekend. Maybe next time.
ごめんなさい、今週末は仕事があるので、また今度でお願いします。
I am sorry I can't come because I have some overtime to do this weekend.
Sorry, I can't come with you this weekend because I am up to my neck in work.
I wish I could come with you, but I can't because I have so much work to do this weekend.
When declining an invitation that is so attractive such as a weekend trip to some seaside resort, it is courteous to start the declining with an apology, such as 'I am sorry". This is so because the person inviting you would have been very confident that you would accept the invitation. It is also very important to mention the reason why you have declined the invitation, such as overtime work or being up to your neck in work. The phrase 'up to my neck in work' means to have so much work that you can't do anything else.
Since this invitation is very attractive, you really wish you would go with your friend on this weekend trip, but it is impossible because you have so much work to do.
So, you may say to your friend:
I am sorry I can't come because I have some overtime to do this weekend.
or
Sorry, I can't come with you this weekend because I am up to my neck in work.
or
I wish I could come with you but I can't because I have so much work to do this weekend.
何かとっても魅力的な誘い、例えば海辺のリゾートへの週末旅行などを断らなくてはいけない場合、
"I am sorry"などのお詫びの言葉から始めると礼儀正しいですよね。
多分、誘った人はあなたが、その人の誘いを受けてくれることが間違いないと思っていたはずです。
そしてまた、断る理由を述べることもとても重要です。
例えば、仕事が忙しいくて手が離せないなどの。
この 'up to my neck in work'と言うフレーズは仕事が忙しくて他の事をする時間がない、と言う意味になります。
このお誘いはとても魅力的で、行けるものなら友達と一緒に週末旅行に行きたいけど、仕事がありすぎてそれは不可能だという事になります。
ですので、次のように友達に言うことが出来ます。
I am sorry I can't come because I have some overtime to do this weekend.
（今週末は時間外労働をしなくてはいけないので、旅行には行けません、ごめんなさい）
Sorry, I can't come with you this weekend because I am up to my neck in work.
（ごめんなさい、仕事が忙しすぎて今回の週末旅行には行けません）
I wish I could come with you but I can't because I have so much work to do this weekend.
（一緒に行けたらいいんだけど、今週末は仕事が忙しくて行けません）
i'm really sorry but I wont be able to join you this weekend as I have loads of work to still get done.
Unfortunately I will not be able to join you for the trip as I have tons of work to get done still.
If you would like to tell someone that you will not be able to join them on the weekend because you are too busy and have work to do, you can say something like "i'm really sorry but I wont be able to join you this weekend as I have loads of work to still get done." or "Unfortunately I will not be able to join you for the trip as I have tons of work to get done still.".
Sorry I can't come this weekend, I am swamped with work.
Sorry I can't make it this weekend, I have a mountain of work to do.
swamp: 沼/泥沼
沼は水が多すぎるので、仕事が多すぎると言う時にこのフレーズを使う理由が想像できます。本当に忙しい感じがします。
e.g.
I am swamped with summer homework.
夏の宿題でとても忙しい。
She is swamped with paperwork.
彼女は事務処理でとても忙しい。
a mountain of work「仕事の山」という言葉を使うと、どれほど忙しいかも想像できます。
e.g.
Sorry, I have a mountain of homework to do.
すみません、宿題の山がある.
At the weekend I always have a mountain of laundry.
週末はいつも洗濯物の山をがある.
I won't be able to manage because I'm snowed under at the moment.
I'm sorry but I'm swamped with work at the moment.
1. I won't be able to manage because I'm snowed under
at the moment.
If you say that you can't manage then it means that you
are unable to do something that the person is asking of you.
The phrase, "snowed under" means that you have so much
work that you are struggling to cope.
2. I'm sorry but I'm swamped with work at the moment.
The phrase, ''swamped with work" means that you feel
overwhelmed by everything that you have to do and you
are unsure if you'll be able to meet your deadlines.
Examples:
I wish I could! But work has been full on at the moment, I won't be able to make it unfortunately.
I will love to but I am just really busy with work at the moment!
I really can't make it because I have so much work on at the moment, I am behind my deadlines at the moment.
Can we organise a next time? I am super busy with work.
I am swamped with work, I really wish I could come with you!
I am gutted I cant come, Ive been asked to work
Someone has asked you to work but you need to turn down having a fun weekend with your friends, you could say any of the three sentences above.
'Swamped' means that you have so much work, you cant keep up and you feel 'swamped'
Telling them you feel gutted, or that 'lets organise for next time' tells your friends that you still really want to see them and your upset you arent going with them.
I would love to come, but unfortunately I'm snowed under with work this weekend.
I'm sorry I cannot make it this weekend, but I have work commitments that I can't get out of.
I have some work deadlines I have to meet, so sadly will have to take a rain check.
The first phrase uses an idiom, "snowed under", to indicate that the person is buries under their works, as if it were snow. An idiom is a phrase where the words used allude to something other than the meaning of the actual words.
The second phrase is very polite, and starts with an apology, followed by an explanation of why the person cannot attend.
The third phrase puts the burden of work first, and uses the word "sadly" to indicate that the person would have liked to attended, if work deadlines had allowed. A rain check is a ticket given for use at a later time, if a sporting event is cancelled. Here it would indicate that the person would like to attend, but at a future time.
I have other engagements means that you have other events/activities that are avoiding you from going to the trip.
Preoccupied at the moment means that you are absorbed in something
Tied up: means that you are currently very busy and it would be complicated for you to attend the trip.
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