French · Meeting people · Elementary

How to ask someone to repeat in French

Say “Pardon, je n'ai pas bien compris” or “Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?”. If it’s too fast: “Vous parlez un peu trop vite pour moi”. For a word you don’t know: “Que veut dire ce mot ?”. For numbers and names: “Pouvez-vous l'écrire, s'il vous plaît ?”. People are usually happy to help.

Try it · about two minutes

At the post office the clerk talks too fast for you, so you ask them to repeat, slow down or write it down.

Sound on: the post office clerk speaks French. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

Post office clerk
Il devrait arriver sous trois à cinq jours ouvrables.
It should arrive within three to five working days.
You
Pardon, je n'ai pas bien compris.
Sorry, I didn’t quite understand.
Post office clerk
Il devrait arriver sous trois à cinq jours ouvrables.
It should arrive within three to five working days.
You
Vous parlez un peu trop vite pour moi.
You’re speaking a little too fast for me.
Post office clerk
Vous comprenez ?
Do you understand?
You
Oui, je comprends.
Yes, I understand.
Post office clerk
Vous voulez un suivi ?
Would you like tracking?
You
Que veut dire ce mot ?
What does this word mean?
Post office clerk
Le suivi, c'est un numéro pour suivre votre colis en ligne.
Tracking is a number to follow your parcel online.
You
Pouvez-vous l'écrire, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you write it down, please?
Post office clerk
Je vais vous l'écrire.
I’ll write it down for you.
You
J'apprends encore, merci de votre patience.
I’m still learning, thank you for your patience.

Key phrases

Pardon, je n'ai pas bien compris.
Sorry, I didn’t quite understand.
Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you repeat that, please?
Pouvez-vous répéter plus lentement ?
Can you repeat that more slowly?
Vous parlez un peu trop vite pour moi.
You’re speaking a little too fast for me.
Que veut dire ce mot ?
What does this word mean?
Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ?
What does that mean?
Pouvez-vous l'écrire, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you write it down, please?
Je n'ai pas compris la fin.
I didn’t understand the end.
Vous comprenez ?
Do you understand?
J'apprends encore, merci de votre patience.
I’m still learning, thank you for your patience.

Good to know in France

Pardon, not quoi

Polite

Pardon ?

Sorry?

Blunt

Quoi ?

What?

A bare “Quoi ?” can sound rude to a stranger. “Pardon ?” or “Comment ?”, with a rising voice, is the polite way to ask again.

Three ways to get it right

1
Say which part you missed, so they don’t repeat everything.
I didn’t understand the end.
2
Ask them to slow down: most people happily do.
Can you repeat that more slowly?
3
Ask for numbers, names and addresses in writing.
Can you write it down, please?

Tricky numbers

French numbers like soixante-dix-sept (77) or quatre-vingt-dix (90) are hard to catch at speed. Asking for them written down is completely normal.

More situations in French

All situations in French

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

Download on the App Store (opens the App Store in a new tab)

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.