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5 phrases · A2 · B1
Every phrase below is a fixed shape you can fill in and use immediately, ordered from the simplest to the most advanced. Each one carries what it means in English and in Hindi, three examples that vary the slot, and the situations it actually gets said in.
Simplest first. The braces mark the part you change.
Say you did not hear — without saying "what?".
मैं ठीक से सुन नहीं पाया/पाई।
Polite — strangers, seniors, customers · say it as: I didn't quite / catch that · used on the phone, at work
Ask for a repeat, politely and specifically.
क्या आप इसे फिर से कहेंगे?
Polite — strangers, seniors, customers · say it as: Could you say that / again please · used on the phone, travelling
Ask for the word you cannot remember, instead of stopping the sentence.
___ को अंग्रेज़ी में क्या कहते हैं?
With friends · say it as: What's the word for / the person who fixes pipes · used everyday life, at work
Repair something you said badly, without starting an argument about it.
मेरा मतलब यह था कि ___।
Anywhere · say it as: What I meant was / that we need one more day · used at work, interviews
Start again with different words, when the first explanation did not work.
मैं इसे दूसरे तरीक़े से कहता/कहती हूँ।
Anywhere · say it as: Let me put it / another way · used at work, college
The versions that get said instead, and why they land differently.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
Come again? | Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. "Come again" is very casual and can sound sarcastic to somebody who does not know you. |
What is the meaning of the person who fixes pipes? | What's the word for the person who fixes pipes? "Meaning" asks what a word means. You want the opposite — the word for a meaning. |
The same phrases, sorted by the room you are standing in.
More phrase groups on the phrases index, or browse by situation on the speaking pages.
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