Whether yous're talking to a friend, having a business meeting, or taking an online English lesson, there volition be times when you don't hear what the other person says. How should you ask them to repeat themselves?

Unfortunately, nearly English language courses teach expressions that are either erstwhile-fashioned ("Pardon?") or kind of aggressive ("Alibi me!").

To help yous out, we've made a list of 10 useful expressions that yous can employ to naturally inquire people to repeat themselves.

i. Lamentable?

You might hear native speakers say "What?" all the time. Yet, it takes a lot of skill to say "What?" without sounding rude, and so we don't recommend it.

Luckily, in that location's another curt expression you lot can employ which sounds a lot better: "Sorry?" You lot can call back of this as a short version of "Sorry. What did you say?"

And then the next time y'all need someone to repeat themselves, just say "Lamentable?" It's simpler and more common in English conversations these days. Simply brand sure to raise your intonation at the terminate of the word as you would when asking a question.

2. Say that again?

Another piece of cake phrase yous can utilise to ask for repetition is "Say that over again?" This is a shortened version of "Could you lot say that again?" and you lot tin can hear it used in this video:

You tin can also replace "that" with other words. For case:

  • Say that final office again?
  • Say your name once more? I only want to brand sure I know how it's pronounced.

Even so, you should know that "Say that once more?" is best used in casual conversations. With people you're not close with, information technology's safer to go with one of these longer versions:

  • Sad, could you say that again, please?
  • Would you mind saying that again?

iii. What was that?

"What was that?" is similar "What?" merely less edgeless. Information technology means "What was the thing you lot just said?" To audio even more polite, you can say "Sorry, what was that?"

4. What did you (just) say?

"What did you say?" and "What did you but say?" are two other useful English expressions you tin utilise to ask people to repeat themselves.

  • Sorry, what did you lot say? I didn't hear.
  • I'g distressing. What did you lot merely say? There was some noise in the background.

Again, make sure to say this with a friendly tone of vox so y'all don't accidentally sound ambitious.

5. … what?

Some other alternative to "What?" is to first repeat role of what the other person said and then say "what" merely like in a sample conversation below.

You lot can besides use other question words similar "when," "where," and "who" in this way.

  • Y'all're going where this afternoon?
  • She'due south talking to who right now?

"What" is the most versatile question give-and-take, as you can use it to replace words that aren't nouns. For example, in the post-obit sample dialogue, it replaces a verb:

Plus, equally this instance shows, " … what?" is a great way to inquire people to repeat a word that y'all oasis't heard before and might want to write down. Next time you're having a conversation and you want your friend or online English tutor to repeat a specific word, give this selection a try.

6. I didn't get that.

"I didn't get that" is another way to say "I didn't hear what you said."

  • I'g afraid I didn't get that.
  • Sorry, I didn't get the final bit. Say that once again?

If you lot don't understand why "get" means "hear," think almost information technology like this. If your friend mails you a birthday present, they might call you lot a few days later to ask "Have you gotten it yet?"

Well, as nosotros all know, packages sometimes get lost in the mail instead of arriving at your doorstep. Similarly, the words that someone else says don't always attain your ear. That'due south why English speakers say "I didn't get that.

vii. I didn't catch that.

"I didn't grab that" is another manner to say "I didn't get that." To get an thought of why "catch" is used, imagine someone "threw" some words at yous and you didn't "take hold of" them with your ear.

  • Sorry, I didn't catch that.
  • Pitiful, I didn't quite catch that concluding function.

8. I missed that.

"I missed that" is another fashion to say that you didn't hear something.

  • Would you mind repeating yourself? I missed the last bit.
  • Pitiful, I missed that.

nine. I'1000 not sure I heard correctly.

Instead of saying "I didn't hear yous," you tin also say that you aren't sure if you heard the person correctly. This is also a phrase y'all can utilize in more formal situations.

  • I'm not sure I heard correctly. Could you repeat the question, please?
  • I'k non sure I heard the final function correctly. Y'all were saying that he wanted to quit his task?

ten. Could you tell me once again … ?

Sometimes, you need people to repeat something they said earlier in the conversation. In that instance, you tin can utilize "Could y'all tell me over again … ?"

  • Could yous tell me again why you chose to movement to Frg?
  • I know you already mentioned this, but could you tell me over again how they met?

Bonus: How to Ask People to Repeat Themselves Yet Once more

Sometimes, you ask someone to repeat themselves, but still fail to empathise them. Here are some expressions you can use in this situation.

  • Pitiful, one more time, please.
  • Sad, I missed that once again. Could you repeat that one more than time, please?
  • I'one thousand so sorry. The noise is making it hard for me to hear y'all. Could yous say that again?
  • Clearly, I need to get my ears checked! Would yous mind repeating that for me, one last time?

Only retrieve: The more than conversation practice you get, the less you'll need to enquire people to repeat themselves. Bring together Engoo, start taking one-on-one lessons with our professional person tutors, and give your English language conversation skills the heave they need!