French Phrase
Je peux décaler ça à plus tard ?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Can I shift this to later?’ It is a polite, informal way to ask whether a task, meeting, or activity can be postponed to a later time.
When to use
Use this sentence when you need to delay something in a casual or semi‑formal setting – for example, at work when a deadline is tight, or with friends when you want to push a plan to a later hour.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jepeuxdécalerçaàplustard?
Pouvoir (present)
‘Peux’ is the first‑person singular present of the modal verb pouvoir, used to ask for permission or ability.
Infinitive after pouvoir
When pouvoir is followed by another verb, that verb stays in the infinitive (décaler).
Ça vs. Cela
‘Ça’ is the informal demonstrative pronoun; in formal speech you would use ‘cela’.
À plus tard
The prepositional phrase ‘à plus tard’ works as an adverb meaning ‘to later’ or ‘for later’.
Question intonation
Raising intonation at the end of the sentence signals a polite request; the written question mark is optional in spoken French.
🗨In Conversation
Je peux décaler ça à plus tard ?
Can I postpone this to later?
Oui, pas de problème, on le fera demain matin.
Sure, no problem, we’ll do it tomorrow morning.
✕Common Mistakes
Je peut décaler ça à plus tard ?
‘Peut’ is the third‑person singular form; with ‘je’ you need ‘peux’.
Je peux déplacer ça à plus tard ?
‘Déplacer’ means ‘to move physically’, not ‘to shift a schedule’. Use ‘décaler’ or ‘reporter’.
Je peux décaler ça à tard ?
The adverbial phrase must include ‘plus’; ‘à tard’ is ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Est‑ce que je peux remettre ça à plus tard ?
Can I put this off until later?
Peut‑on reporter cela ?
Can we reschedule this?
Je voudrais le reporter, c’est possible ?
I’d like to postpone it, is that possible?
Cultural Tip
‘Décaler’ is common in everyday French but sounds a bit informal; in business emails you’ll more often see ‘reporter’ or ‘remettre’. Also, French speakers frequently drop the question mark in spoken language, relying on intonation to signal a request. If you need a very formal tone, replace ‘ça’ with ‘cela’ and use ‘Est‑ce que je peux…’.