You think you know what someone said but you aren’t totally sure.
Maybe what they said was complicated or the phone connection was bad.
In situations like these it’s good to be able to paraphrase what the person said to check and make sure that you are understanding them before you continue the conversation.
Find out how to do it today.
Why we don’t understand what someone said:
1) We can’t hear them (low voice or bad phone signal)
2) What they are saying is complicated
We’ll show you how to respond in both situations in this lesson.
Make sure you understand every word you hear on All Ears English.
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Get the transcripts from today’s episode.
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What to say if you can’t hear someone:
- “Excuse me, I couldn’t hear you.”
- “Can you repeat that? I couldn’t hear you.”
- “Can you speak a bit louder, please?”
*Also check out Episode 586 on how to ask someone to slow down.
What to say if what they are saying is complicated:
- Paraphrase
- Find out if you are correct
- “So what you’re saying is…”
- “Do you mean…”
- “So ________, is that right?”
Have you tried these phrases?
Let us know your questions below!
