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J'ai un empêchement ; je dois décliner l'offre et décaler le rendez-vous.

J'ai un empêchement ; je dois décliner l'offre et décaler le rendez-vous.
I have a scheduling conflict; I must decline the offer and postpone the appointment.
From Lesson 445:Refuting a cause (ce n'est pas que)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai un empêchement ; je dois décliner l'offre et décaler le rendez-vous.

What exactly does un empêchement mean here?
While it translates literally to "an impediment," in everyday French it is the standard, polite way to say "a scheduling conflict" or "something came up." It allows you to cancel or delay plans without having to provide a specific, personal reason.
Could I use repousser instead of décaler for "to postpone"?
Yes, both work perfectly! Décaler literally means "to shift" (often used for moving a schedule slightly), while repousser means "to push back." Both are very common in professional settings for adjusting meeting times.
Is décliner different from refuser?
Décliner is simply a more formal and polite version of refuser, much like "to decline" versus "to refuse" or "to turn down" in English. You will often see it used with formal invitations or professional offers, as in décliner l'offre.
This lesson focuses on using ce n'est pas que. How could I add "It's not that I don't want to" to soften this sentence?
You must use the subjunctive mood after ce n'est pas que. To soften the refusal, you could say: Ce n'est pas que je ne veuille pas, mais j'ai un empêchement... This perfectly sets up the rejection as being due to the schedule rather than a lack of interest.

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