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Dialogue 1-7: Can You Say That Again?
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Hello. May...

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I am sorry…
Can I …

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Sure, can you
please …

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Yes…

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 “ Role
Plays
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Scene 1:
You are alone at home. The
phone starts ringing. You run
to answer the call. It is your

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sister’s friend calling to speak
up to her.

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Scene 2:
You have a cold and feel very ill.
You must see a doctor so call the
Korean Hospital. You explain your

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illness and would like to have an
appointment to see the doctor.

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 There are a few ways to
Can you say express a lack of
that again? understanding and to
request additional
information.
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 Dialogue 1-7:
Can you say that again?

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

Unfortunately, most English courses teach expressions

that are either old-fashioned (“Pardon?”) or kind of
aggressive (“Excuse me!”).

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 1. Sorry?
You might hear native speakers say “What?” all the time. However, it takes a
lot of skill to say “What?” without sounding rude, so we don’t recommend it.

Luckily, there’s another short expression you can use which sounds a lot better:
“Sorry?” You can think of this as a short version of “Sorry. What did you
say?”

So the next time you need someone to repeat themselves, just say “Sorry?” It’s
simpler and more common in English conversations these days. Just make sure
to raise your intonation at the end of the word as you would when asking a
question.

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 2. Say that again?
Another easy phrase you can use to ask for repetition is “Say that again?”
This is a shortened version of “Could you say that again?” You can also
replace “that” with other words. For example:
• Say that last part again?
• Say your name again? I just want to make sure I know how it’s
pronounced.
However, you should know that “Say that again?” is best used in casual
conversations. With people you’re not close with, it’s safer to go with one of
these longer versions:
• Sorry, could you say that again, please?
• Would you mind saying that again?

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 3. What was that?
“What was that?” is like “What?” but less blunt. It
means “What was the thing you just said?” To sound
even more polite, you can say “Sorry, what was that?”

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 4. What did you (just) say?
“What did you say?” and “What did you just say?” are
two other useful English expressions you can use to ask
people to repeat themselves.
• Sorry, what did you say? I didn’t hear.
• I’m sorry. What did you just say? There was some
noise in the background.
Again, make sure to say this with a friendly tone of voice so you
don’t accidentally sound aggressive.

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 5. … what?
Another alternative to “What?” is to first repeat part of
what the other person said and then say “what” just like in
a sample conversation below.

You can also use other question words like “when,”

“where,” and “who” in this way.

• You’re going where this afternoon?

• She’s talking to who right now?

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 6. I didn’t get that.
“I didn’t get that” is another way to say “I didn’t
hear what you said.”
• I’m afraid I didn’t get that.
• Sorry, I didn’t get the last bit. Say that again?
If you don’t understand why “get” means “hear,”
think about it like this.

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 7. I didn’t catch that.
“I didn’t catch that” is another way to say “I
didn’t get that.” To get an idea of why “catch” is
used, imagine someone “threw” some words at you
and you didn’t “catch” them with your ear.
• Sorry, I didn't catch that.
• Sorry, I didn't quite catch that last part.

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 8. I missed that.
“I missed that” is another way to say that you
didn’t hear something.

• Would you mind repeating yourself? I missed

the last bit.
• Sorry, I missed that.

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 9. I’m not sure I heard correctly.
Instead of saying “I didn’t hear you,” you can also say
that you aren’t sure if you heard the person correctly. This
is also a phrase you can use in more formal situations.

• I’m not sure I heard correctly. Could you repeat the

question, please?
• I’m not sure I heard the last part correctly. You were
saying that he wanted to quit his job?

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 10. Could you tell me again … ?
Sometimes, you need people to repeat something they said
earlier in the conversation. In that case, you can use
“Could you tell me again … ?”

• Could you tell me again why you chose to move to

Germany?
• I know you already mentioned this, but could you tell
me again how they met?

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 Sometimes, you ask someone to repeat themselves, but still fail to
understand them. Here are some expressions you can use in this
situation.
•Sorry, one more time, please.
• Sorry, I missed that again. Could you repeat that one more
time, please?
• I’m so sorry. The noise is making it difficult for me to hear
you. Could you say that again?
• Clearly, I need to get my ears checked! Would you mind
repeating that for me, one last time?

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 Complete the expressions below.

“Sorry. What …?”

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 Complete the expressions below.

“Sorry. What did you say?”

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 Complete the expressions below.

“Could you …

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 Complete the expressions below.

“Could you say that again?”

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 Complete the expressions below.

Would you …

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 Complete the expressions below.

Would you mind saying that again?

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 Complete the expressions below.

I’m sorry. What did you just say?

There was some …

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 Complete the expressions below.

I’m sorry. What did you just say?

There was some noise
in the background.
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 Complete the expressions below.

You’re going ____ this afternoon?

She’s talking to ____ right now?

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 Complete the expressions below.

You’re going where this afternoon?

She’s talking to who right now?

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 Complete the expressions below.

I didn’t ...

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 Complete the expressions below.

I didn’t get that.

I didn’t catch that.

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 Complete the expressions below.

I’m not sure I ....

Could you …?

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 Complete the expressions below.

I’m not sure I heard correctly.

Could you repeat the question,
please?
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References:
• https://engoo.com/blog/2021/11/23/10-polite-ways-to-ask-people-to-repeat-t
hemselves/