The phrase “I don’t want to keep you” is a polite way to say that you understand the other person might be busy or have other obligations, and you don’t want to take up too much of their time. It’s another way of saying, “I know your time is valuable” or “I don’t want to hold you up.”
Here are two examples in sentences:
Example 1:
“I’d love to chat more, but I don’t want to keep you. I know you have a meeting to get to.”
Example 2:
“As much as I enjoy our conversations, I don’t want to keep you. You must have lots to do today.”
Here are two examples in a conversation:
Example 3:
Lucy: “I need to get to the bank before it closes.”
Emma: “I don’t want to keep you then, Lucy. We can continue our conversation later.”
Example 4:
Jack: “It seems like you’re busy with your work.”
Tom: “Yes, I have a deadline coming up.”
Jack: “I don’t want to keep you, Tom. We can catch up another time.”
So when you hear “I don’t want to keep you“, it’s usually a courteous expression acknowledging the value of the other person’s time and implying that you don’t want to delay them from their other responsibilities. It shows respect for the other person’s schedule.