There are a lot of situations in life where
need to not understand what the other person said.
So you want the other person to repeat the information.
By the virtue of human tendency, people tend to use
just one word that comes to their mind very casually.
And that is what, ladies and gentlemen,
this is what today's session is about.
This very word, what no matter how the intonation
in which you say it is very rude.
In today's session, we will understand how to
ask people to repeat in English politely.
We're going to be discussing certain expressions.
Let us have a look at the first one.
The first one in the list is was that
was that is all about what is that?
It is a contracted form of what is that?
Which implies the other person
to repeat the information.
It's not blunt.
What it is was that if you say this
one with a smile, I think that would add
ultra charm to the way you say it.
For example, person A says I think we need
to talk, but B did not understand because there
was a lot of music in the background.
So B says, Sorry, was that the music is quite loud.
Very interesting phrase that you can make use of
when you want the other person to repeat.
Now, you're not really directly asking the
person to repeat, but you're implying the
other person to say the information.
Once again for you.
Next one is was that I'm driving
and there's a lot of noise pollution.
Let us look at the next one in the list.
The next one is make neither head nor tail.
Imagine it's dark at night and an animal
crosses the road, but you can't see.
But you didn't see by the head or the
tail what that animal was in that situation.
In such a situation you can make use of this
very interesting EDM which says I did not understand.
Could you repeat?
You're not saying could you repeat as such, but
you're implying it with the use of this expression.
For example, I'm sorry, there was a
lot of there was a loud announcement.
I could neither make head nor
tail for what you just said.
That means possibly I'm at the airport
and I couldn't understand what you said.
Can you repeat once again?
There was an announcement in the background so
I could make neither head nor tail.
I could not understand.
It's Greek to me.
Imagine I speak four languages, but Greek is
one of the languages that I don't understand.
So if you also do not understand something because possibly
the person said something fast, et cetera, in that situation
you can say, Sorry, it's Greek to me.
For example, excuse me, it was all Greek to me.
I did not understand anything.
Could you make that simple to understand whatever
you said, it was Greek to me.
I could not understand that.
Could you repeat that again?
A very nice expression that you can make use of to
ask the other person to repeat politely as clear as mud.
Imagine I take this watch and put it
in mud and there's a lot of water.
The colour of the mud is same
as that of the watch as well.
For that matter, would you be able
to see the watch in the mud?
You would not be able to.
So when things are unclear to you, when you have
not understood the thing and you want the other person
to repeat it, you can use this polite expression which
says it was as clear as mud.
Could you please say that again?
Instead of saying I did not understand, you
can say it was as clear as mud.
For example, his instructions were as clear as mud.
That means I could not understand
any of that even a bit.
Can anyone help?
Could you run that by me again?
One of my favourite ones and I'm going
to be putting a star at it.
It says could you run that by me?
When you said say run that by
me, that means repeat one more time.
Run that by me means to repeat something.
For example, I missed the
last slide in your presentation.
Could you run that by me again?
That means could you repeat and help
me understand that once again the last
slide that you just delivered and presented?
Could you quickly run by me the
changes you made in your essay?
Again, possibly a teacher is talking to one of
the students about the final draught that the student
made and the teacher is saying, could you help
me understand once again quickly what are the changes
that you have made in that?
Could you make me understand that?
So the person is asking to repeat again,
and that too, with a very interesting phrase,
politely sorry, I didn't catch that.
Didn't catch here does not mean
that I didn't catch the ball.
It means I did not understand, for
example, Sorry, I didn't catch that.
You said take a left after the red light, right?
The person is checking on the
directions and making use of it.
This is one of the formal phrases that
you can make use of at workplace.
So if you think that you do not understand
something, especially in a meeting, feel free to make
use of this particular phrase I beg your pardon.
One of the most interesting ones that
we have in the list today.
I beg your pardon means I am sorry and
can be used in a lot of situations.
Not just to repeat something, but since the
theme of the session is repeating, asking the
other person to repeat politely, you can make
use of I beg your pardon as well.
So the intonation goes like this I
beg your pardon one more time.
I beg your pardon.
For example, the waiter could not understand and kept repeating
beg your pardon every time I named a dish.
Possibly you're in Europe and you're ordering something
and the waiter is saying time and again,
beg your pardon, beg your pardon because I
don't understand what you're trying to say.
Sorry, I couldn't follow you.
Follow does not mean chasing the
person wherever the person goes.
Follow means I could not follow
what you were trying to say.
I could not understand what you were trying to say.
You're using sorry to apologise and mentioning this politely
that I could not understand what you said.
For example, Sorry, I couldn't follow you.
What's the point you're making here?
That means you've been talking for a very
very long time but I'm sorry, I don't
understand what are you trying to say here?
I didn't follow you.
Next one is Sorry, I couldn't follow you.
Is that a yes or no?
Possibly a person is proposing to the other
person and the answer is quite not understandable.
So the person says what is it?
Is it a yes or a no?
I didn't follow you in such situation.
Go ahead with this one.
The next one is Please come again.
Short, crisp, not casual, and definitely not super duper
formal as well goes in all the situations.
Please come again, come again does not mean enter
the room or enter the hall means Please repeat.
For example I could barely hear
you because of the background noise.
Please come again.
One more time please.
Similar to the last one, easy PZ one this
time not making use of any EDM here. Very simple.
For example, one more time please.
The internet connection is quite weak.
There's an online meeting that's going on.
So the person says Sorry, internet connection was weak.
One more time please.
Do you mind repeating that important information here?
Whenever you use the word,
use the phrase sentence structure.
Do you mind always use ing with the next word?
Do you mind repeat?
Do you mind repeating that?
For example, do you mind repeating some
of these instructions on the packet loudly?
Supposedly you're trying to explain what's going
on with the packaging of a product
and you're saying could you repeat that?
Do you mind repeating that?
This was all about the polite phrases that you can
make use of to ask the other person to repeat
politely what they just said and you did not understand.
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