Soften what you say with ちょっと

ちょっと means “a little”. In front of a request or an interruption it makes what you say smaller and politer. ちょっと しつもんが あります is how a student starts when the room is quiet, and ちょっと わかりません says you only half follow. People also use it to say no without saying it: when someone answers an invitation with ちょっと… and stops, the answer is no. The sentence is never finished.