Cosa devo fare se non capisco?

It’s happened to all of us. You were so excited to practice Spanish with a native speaker, and you were so confident in yourself! Then, the other person started talking, and you had no idea what words came out of their mouth. You feel frustrated, and a little embarrassed. In this article, we’ll help you answer the question, “What do I do if I don’t understand?” so you can keep the conversation going.

Risposte di una sola parola

Especially if the other person doesn’t speak English and can’t explain it to you, you’ll want to know how to ask someone to repeat what they just said. ¿Cómo? è una frase comune simile a Eh? in English. It’s short, sweet and to the point to show that you don’t understand what they just said. You could also say, ¿Perdón? che è simile a Scusatemi? o Come? With a confused look, these convey the message perfectly that you didn’t understand.

Chiedi loro di dirlo più lentamente

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Se hai un'idea di ciò che hanno detto ma hai bisogno che ti rallentino il discorso, potresti provare a dire Más despacio, por favor. It’s a polite way to say Più lento, per favore. Si potrebbe anche dire Más lento invece di Más despacio se lento is easier to remember since it’s shorter.

Frasi per chiedere una ripetizione

If you’re a beginner, a good phrase to know is Repita, por favor if it’s someone you’re familiar with. If you want to show a little more respect, or you’re in a culture that would use usted in questa situazione, opta per Ripeti, per favore. However, if you’re a more advanced learner, you could try the phrase, ¿Podrías repetirlo, por favor? per chiedere di poterlo ripetere.

Simply state you don’t understand

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If you’ve tried everything above and you just want to say I don’t understand, puoi utilizzare le frasi No entiendo o no comprendo. This way, the other person knows that you didn’t catch anything they just said. Most likely, they’ll either say it slower, or try a new way of phrasing it.

Ogni conversation è un'esperienza di apprendimento. A volte si parla con qualcuno che ha un accento o dialetto you’re not used to, and it’s harder to understand. Keep practicing, be patient, and try your best. Soon, you’ll feel confident in any situation.