Huh?

There are probably times when you don’t hear and/or understand what someone just said to you. Especially on the phone when the reception isn’t good. Here are a variety of ways to ask some one to repeat what they just said.

I’m sorry, could you say that again?

Can you please repeat what you just said?

I didn’t hear you. Could you repeat it?

I don’t understand what you are saying. Can you rephrase it?

I apologize, I missed what you said. Could you say it again please?

I’m having trouble hearing you. Can you speak louder and repeat what you just said?

You’re speaking too fast for me. Can you slow down and say it again?

Pardon me? Excuse me? (You can use either of these before any of the above phrases or you can use either of these phrases alone.)

Come again? (This phrase is more familiar and slightly negative.)

Say what? (This is when you don’t really understand what someone said or you don’t believe what someone said. Teens use it a lot.)

What? (This is used a lot, but isn’t as polite as some of the other ways. It’s better to say this in person and you can add a smile to it. Then it isn’t as abrasive.)

Huh? (This is what most kids say. (Okay, and me too sometimes.))

13 thoughts on “Huh?”

  1. Thanks, I can imagine easily those sentences with your good explanations.

    “What?” It’s better to say we can add a smile. But how to write the smile on a letter instead of face to face.

  2. 🙂 Thanks for your comment! I guess we can say “what?” and add a 🙂 so people know we aren’t mad in writing. Or we can just be ultra-polite and say “Excuse me”.

  3. I only knew “Pardon me?” as I’m a novice to English. In my reflection, that could be a lack of explanation. I can learn from this journal entry that showing excuse is needed to ask someone what he or she said again.

  4. Pardon me? Is a good one to use! I’m so gald you found this entry useful. Thanks so much for stopping by my website. I hope to see you again soon!

  5. That is really interesting! It’s always very interesting how ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ are translated into different languages. Shows a lot about the culture.

  6. I often heard from movies & dramas,”What are you talking about?”.Sometime it is appropriate but not always.

  7. Yes, I hear this often. Sometimes the way people say it can be a bit negative. So, you can use it, it just depends on the circumstances.

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