Everyday English · CEFR A2 · Everyday
Sorry, could you repeat that? — Everyday english
The everyday ways to ask again. "Sorry?" on its own is the commonest, and "What?" alone sounds rude.
The shape
Sorry? · Could you say that again? · Do you mean…?
Ask somebody to repeat without embarrassment.
In Hindi
दोबारा पूछने के रोज़मर्रा के तरीक़े। अकेला "Sorry?" सबसे आम है; अकेला "What?" रूखा लगता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
Repeat again please. | Sorry, could you say that again? "Repeat again" says the same thing twice, and the bare imperative sounds like an order. |
Sorry, could you repeat that? examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
What does it mean?
इसका मतलब क्या है?
What is this word?
यह शब्द क्या है?
I did not understand.
मैं नहीं {समझा|समझी}।
also correct: I didn't get that.
Please explain it to me.
कृपया मुझे समझाइए।
How do you say this?
इसे कैसे बोलते हैं?
How do you write this?
इसे कैसे लिखते हैं?
Could you say that once more, please?
कृपया एक बार फिर बोलिए।
Please speak in simpler words.
कृपया आसान शब्दों में बोलिए।
Could you write it down?
क्या आप इसे लिख सकते हैं?
I do not know the right word.
मुझे सही शब्द नहीं पता।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- So you mean…? Is that right?B1Check you understood before acting on it
- Could you…? Would you mind…?A2Ask for something without sounding like an order
Questions people ask
- What is the sorry, could you repeat that? used for?
- The everyday ways to ask again. "Sorry?" on its own is the commonest, and "What?" alone sounds rude. In practice: ask somebody to repeat without embarrassment.
- How do you form the sorry, could you repeat that??
- Sorry? · Could you say that again? · Do you mean…?.
- What is the most common mistake with the sorry, could you repeat that??
- Saying “Repeat again please.” instead of “Sorry, could you say that again?”. "Repeat again" says the same thing twice, and the bare imperative sounds like an order.
Where sorry, could you repeat that? fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Sorry, could you repeat that? is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to everyday english. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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