shitsurei desu ga, dochira no shiryou ga wakariyasui desu ka?

失礼しつれい　です　が、　どちら　の　資料しりょう　が　分わかりやすい　です　か？shitsurei desu ga, dochira no shiryou ga wakariyasui desu ka?
Excuse me, but which documents are easier to understand?
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Questions & Answers about shitsurei desu ga, dochira no shiryou ga wakariyasui desu ka?

What does 失礼ですが mean here? Is it actually rude?
It literally means “It’s rude, but…,” yet in practice it’s a polite softener like “Excuse me, but…”. It’s commonly used to preface a question or request and is not considered rude. Alternatives: すみませんが (neutral/polite), 恐れ入りますが (more formal/humble), 失礼しますが (often when interrupting or entering).
There are two が in the sentence. Are they the same?
No. The first が after 失礼です is a conjunction meaning “but.” The second が marks the grammatical subject: 資料が. So: conjunction が vs subject-marker が.
Why どちら instead of どれ or どっち?
  • どちら: polite “which,” traditionally for two, but widely used even for 3+ in modern speech.
  • どれ: “which (one)” when you’re not attaching a noun, typically used for 3+.
  • どっち: casual version of どちら.
    This sentence picks どちら for politeness.
Why is there a の after どちら? Could I say どの資料?
  • どちら + の + N turns the pronoun into a determiner: “which N (politely/among the set).”
  • どの + N is also fine and a bit less formal: どの資料が分かりやすいですか.
  • Don’t say どれの資料 (unnatural).
    If the noun is obvious, you can drop it and say simply どちらが分かりやすいですか.
Why 資料が and not 資料は?
Interrogative subjects (誰, 何, どれ, どちら, etc.) take が, not は. Using は would sound odd unless you’re making a contrastive statement, which isn’t the case in a neutral “which is …?” question.
What exactly does 資料 mean? How is it different from 書類 or 文書?
  • 資料 (しりょう): materials/resources for understanding, reference, or presentation (slides, handouts, datasets).
  • 書類 (しょるい): forms/official paperwork.
  • 文書 (ぶんしょ): a document/text (the written content itself).
How does 分かりやすい work? Is there a pattern?

Yes: verb stem + やすい means “easy to do.”

  • 分かる → 分かり + やすい → 分かりやすい (easy to understand, clear)
  • Opposite: にくい (hard to …): 分かりにくい.
    Other examples: 読みやすい本, 使いやすいアプリ. It behaves like an i‑adjective.
Do I need です after an i-adjective like 分かりやすい?
You can add です for politeness: 分かりやすいです. Dropping です is plain/casual. With i‑adjectives, です is optional for grammar but standard in polite speech; with nouns/na‑adjectives, a copula is required.
Is it better to say どちらの資料の方が分かりやすいですか?
Both are fine. どちら（の資料）の方が… emphasizes the comparative “which one is more …” and is very common when choosing between two. The shorter どちらの資料が… is also natural.
Can I omit 失礼ですが? What else could I say?
Yes. The bare question is polite enough with です/ます. To soften, you can use openers like すみませんが…, 恐れ入りますが…, or, when asking someone to do work, お手数ですが….
Would でしょうか be more polite than ですか?

Yes, でしょうか sounds more tentative/soft:
失礼ですが、どちらの資料が分かりやすいでしょうか。
ですか is perfectly polite but more direct.

Are spaces normal in Japanese writing?

No. Spaces were likely added for learners. A natural written version is:
失礼ですが、どちらの資料が分かりやすいですか。

Can I just ask どちらが分かりやすいですか?
Yes, if it’s clear from context you’re choosing between two documents. You can also name them: AとBと、どちらが分かりやすいですか。
Should 分かりやすい be written in kanji or kana?
Both occur, but many style guides prefer kana for わかる: わかりやすい. So どちらの資料がわかりやすいですか is very common.