Image by Dave Fayram on Flickr.com.

Have you ever had to ask someone to repeat him or herself because you didn’t understand them? Of course you have! We all have had to do this at times, but it is particularly common for ESL speakers, particularly while you are still a beginner at speaking English.

Needing to ask a speaker to repeat him or herself is not something you should be embarrassed about. It is better that you understand the person than not.  That is, after all, what most speakers are hoping for in the people listening to them.

Today we are going to look at some polite ways for you to ask for someone to repeat them self, but first, let’s look at some reasons why you may have trouble understanding a speaker in the first place.

Some reasons you may have to ask someone to repeat them self are:
vocabulary – not understanding the words being used
pronunciation – not understanding a particular accent or way of speaking
annunciation – not understanding because sounds are being shortened and combined, so that each sound of a word is not pronounced
noise – not understanding due to background or surrounding noise
distraction – not understanding because you are not paying full attention
pace – not understanding because a speaker is talking too fast

Here are some general phrases you can use to ask someone, politely, to repeat what they said:

Sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you said. Can you say that again?
Could you repeat what you just said for me, I didn’t understand.
Could you say that again, I didn’t get all of what you were saying.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t understand you.

If you are having trouble understanding someone because of surrounding noise, you can say:

Could you speak up, I’m having trouble hearing you?
I’m sorry I could not hear you. Could you say that again?

If you generally understand someone, but hear a word that doesn’t make sense to you, you can say:

I’m sorry, but I don’t know that word. What does it mean?
Can you repeat that word? I don’t know it.
Could you tell me what _________ means? I don’t know that word.

If you need a person to slow down their rate of speech, you can say:

Could you speak more slowly for me?
I’m still learning English, and it would really help me if you could speak just a little slower.

Lastly, body language also helps a speaker comprehend that you are not fully understanding him or her. Two ways to show through body language that you are having trouble understanding are to:

Lean in toward the speaker or step closer to him/her.
Put your open hand to your ear (as though you are trying to use your hand to catch more of the sounds the person is making) and lean toward the speaker.

(See the picture at the top of the post for an example of these.)

I hope these phrases and tips help you next time you don’t understand someone. Remember it is always better to ask people to repeat themselves than it is to walk away not knowing what they said.