Can You Say That Again in English

"Can you repeat that?" is one of the first phrases many people larn when they start studying English. Information technology seems that English speakers don't speak very clearly and learners always have to inquire them to repeat! In this commodity we will discuss different ways to ask someone to repeat what they've only said.

"Can y'all repeat that?" When do you lot apply this question?

When we're learning a new language we are too learning new sounds. The nuances of the language and how it is used by its speakers don't always follow the standard rules we find in textbooks. Instead, our feel of listening and observing how the language is used helps usa more than accurately identify unlike sounds. For example, nearly languages don't take the English /ɪ/ sound, and so it's hard for speakers of those languages to hear and say the departure between heat /hullo:t/ and hitting /hɪt/.

This is a very common situation among English language learners. And there is a very unproblematic solution. Inquire the speaker to repeat what they said. Besides oftentimes we get embarrassed when nosotros don't sympathize someone the kickoff fourth dimension...or the second time. But information technology'due south nothing to exist embarrassed about. What's more embarrassing is pretending to understand when information technology is clear to everyone that y'all actually don't empathize. It'south always meliorate to speak upward and inquire them to echo when you don't understand what someone says.

What is the meaning of the English phrase: "Can you repeat that again?"

When we inquire someone to echo what they've said, using phrases like "Tin can you repeat that?", we want them to use the same sounds to brand the same words and phrases that they've recently spoken. Maybe they've said information technology in a peculiar way or perhaps they've used a specific slang phrase, collocation, or idiom whose meaning isn't readily apparent. Native speakers ask people to echo without giving it a second thought, so why should non-native speakers worry about asking?

Some English language learners feel stupid for asking speakers to repeat, but that doesn't brand sense to me. Asking someone to echo shows that you are intelligent, attentive, and responsible. Impaired, distracted, and irresponsible people don't ask speakers to repeat considering they don't see value in understanding what that person said. By asking them to repeat y'all are communicating to them the fact that you are listening to what they are saying, you want to sympathize what they are proverb, and you are honest because you volition non pretend to understand if you exercise non.

Is it right to say "Repeat that again"?

Information technology's ever improve to add words like "please", "deplorable", "alibi me", "give thanks y'all", etc. in English. And it's ever better to avoid using commands. Commands are when we tell someone to do something, for example: "Sit down down!" or "Stand up!" If we change information technology to "Could you lot sit down?", it volition sound more polite considering information technology is a question, non a command.

So, "Echo that again!" is not the best way to ask someone to repeat what they've said. Instead, we should enquire a question, such as "Could you please repeat that again?" or "Could yous delight say that over again?" The word "please" is optional, but calculation it makes the sentence audio nicer and more than polite.

When should you use "Sorry" and "Please"?

"Sorry" and "please" are ordinarily used when asking someone to repeat what they've said. For instance:

Sorry, tin you repeat that?

Past apologizing for not understanding the get-go time, we tell the person it's not their fault that nosotros don't empathize them.

Could you lot repeat that, please?

The difference between using "can" and "could" when making requests is clear when we use the total grade of the verb instead of these brusque forms. "Can" and "could" are forms of the verb "to be able to". The long course of "Can yous...?" is "Are yous able to...?" and the long course of "Could yous...?" is "Would you be able to...?" This shows us that "could" refers to a hypothetical situation, while "can" refers to a nowadays situation.

"Could" is more indirect than "tin" and slightly more polite.

Different ways to say "Can you repeat that?" and synonyms

Information technology's a smart idea to learn other phrases to say instead of "Can you echo that?" Such as:

Could you say that again?

This is a polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves. Nosotros could go far even more polite by calculation "please" at the end.

Come again?

This is a conversational phrase that can be used when we want someone to repeat what they've merely said or when we want to prove that nosotros are shocked or surprised by what a person has just said.

What was that?

This breezy question can be asked when we didn't hear or didn't fully empathize what someone said. Information technology doesn't include any indirect words, and so information technology'southward not equally polite as some of the other things we tin can say. Notwithstanding, it would sound more polite if we said "Sorry, what was that?"

I didn't catch what you said.

Another informal, conversational phrase that tells the speaker information technology is our fault because nosotros didn't hear or encompass what they said. When we say that nosotros didn't catch what they said it ways nosotros didn't hear information technology successfully. It doesn't mean that we didn't understand. This is an of import difference. If it'southward loud and you tin can't hear what a person says, you can say "I didn't catch what y'all said." Just if they person says something that you don't understand, you tin can't say it considering information technology merely means you didn't hear what they said.

Repeat what you just said.

We should avoid using commands in most cases, but sometimes it'due south the most advisable selection. If we want to brand this harsh command sound more polite, nosotros can say "Could you repeat what you just said?" or even "Could you delight echo what yous just said?"

What did you lot say?

We should be conscientious with how we pronounce this phrase. Our intonation tin drastically change the meaning. Watch this video for examples:

How to politely inquire someone to repeat what they said after they've already repeated it once before

Nosotros've all been faced with the bad-mannered situation when we've asked someone to repeat what they've said to us, but we still don't empathize what they said. That's the dreaded moment when we have to ask them repeat a second time, or third fourth dimension, or 4th fourth dimension. Maybe we have bad hearing and frequently don't hear what people say. Only probably we but aren't accepted to hearing the way this person makes these sounds or the phrases and mannerisms that this specific person uses in their spoken communication.

In this instance, it is polite to employ phrases similar:

Could you say that i more time?

With this question nosotros are literally asking them to do it i more time and they will probably think that it's the last time we are asking.

I still didn't get information technology. Could you say it differently?

Asking this mode shows that you accept responsibility for not understanding them. This is important considering you are not blaming them for speaking unclearly, instead you are blaming yourself for not beingness able to decode what they've said. Plus, past asking them to say it differently, non just repeat it the same way, you are proactively trying to solve the problem.

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Source: https://www.krisamerikos.com/blog/can-you-repeat-that