Polite adverbial phrase used when one does something before others, such as leaving, eating, or starting. Often used in set expressions like お先にどうぞ (please go ahead).
Please go ahead.
pardon me for leaving (before you)
Abbreviation of お先に失礼します, used as a set phrase when leaving work or a gathering before others. The full phrase is more common in formal settings.
See also: お先に失礼します
I'll head home ahead of everyone else today.
Excuse me for leaving before you.
Well then, pardon me for leaving before you.
Sorry, I'll go ahead and start eating first.
先に is the plain, everyday word for 'before/first', while お先に adds the honorific prefix お to sound politer, as when excusing oneself before others.
Polite adverbial form of 先 (さき, 'ahead' or 'before') with the honorific prefix お and the particle に.