How to ask for clarification in English: beyond “I don’t understand”

You're in a meeting in English. Someone explains a change to a project, and you miss part of the sentence. You understood most of it and you know the topic, but one detail isn't clear.

What do you say?

Many learners fall back on:

“I don't understand.”

There's nothing wrong with it. But very often, it doesn't tell the other person what you need.

Do you need them to repeat what they said, explain an idea, or confirm that you've understood correctly?

These may all feel like “I don't understand”, but they are three different communication problems. Before you choose your words, identify what you need:

REPEAT / EXPLAIN / CHECK

1. How to ask someone to repeat in English

Sometimes the problem isn't your English at all. Perhaps someone spoke quickly, the connection was poor or there was background noise. Or you simply missed a few words.

In that case, you don't need an explanation. You need them to repeat.

You could say:

“Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?”

Or, if you only missed one part:

“Sorry, what did you say after ‘the delivery date’?”

That second option is particularly useful in meetings because you don't make the other person repeat a whole explanation that you already understood.

“Could you repeat that?” is perfectly correct too. But “I didn't catch that” is a useful phrase when the problem is simply that you didn't hear something clearly.

The important thing is not to pretend you've understood and hope the missing information doesn't matter, because sometimes it does.

2. How to ask for an explanation in English

This is different. You heard the words clearly, but you're not sure what the person actually means.

Imagine a colleague says:

“We need a more flexible approach for the next phase.”

You understand every word, but what does “more flexible” mean here? Different dates? A different process? More people involved?

Repeating the sentence won't solve the problem. This time, you need an explanation.

You could ask:

“Could you explain what you mean by ‘a more flexible approach’?”

Or:

“What do you mean by ‘flexible’ in this case?”

You can also ask for an example:

“Could you give me an example?”

And if part of the idea is already clear, you can be more specific:

“I understand that the dates may change, but I'm not sure what else a more flexible approach would involve.”

These questions tell the other person exactly where the problem is, which makes it much easier for them to help.

3. How to check you understood correctly

Sometimes you think you know what someone means, but you don't want to make an assumption. This is especially important when you're discussing dates, responsibilities, prices or next steps.

In this situation, you don't need repetition or an explanation. You need to check.

For example:

“So, if I understand correctly, we need to send the revised version by Thursday. Is that right?”

Or:

“When you say the final version, do you mean the version for the customer?”

This is particularly useful in professional situations.

Two people can leave the same conversation with completely different ideas about what was agreed, and a quick question gives you the chance to find that out before it matters.

Start with what you do understand

As your English develops, try not to think of understanding as simply:

I understand / I don't understand.

Real communication is often somewhere in between.

You may have understood the topic, the main point and most of the details, but missed one important piece.

Instead of immediately saying “I don't understand”, ask yourself:

What did I understand?

Then try to identify the gap.

For example:

“I understand that we're changing the schedule, but I'm not sure when the new dates start.”

Or:

“So the customer wants a new version. I'm not sure if you mean this week or next week.”

You don't need to produce a perfect summary every time something isn't clear. The idea is simply to use the information you already have to identify what's missing.

This can make it easier to ask a more precise question and easier for the other person to help.

Watch out for direct translations from Spanish and Italian

Some of the most natural ways to ask for clarification in Spanish or Italian don't work in exactly the same way in English.

If you translate them directly, the other person will usually understand you, but the question may sound strange or more abrupt than you intended.

“What means ‘flexible’?”

In Spanish you say “¿Qué significa?” and in Italian “Cosa significa?”, so it can feel natural to translate word for word.

In English, a question with mean needs do or does:

“What does ‘flexible’ mean?”

“What do you mean with...?”

“Con”, in both Spanish and Italian, may become “with” in your head, but in English the preposition after mean is by:

“What do you mean by ‘flexible’?”

“How?”

“¿Cómo?” in Spanish and “Come?” in Italian are normal ways to ask someone to repeat.

In English, “How?” can sound ambiguous or as if you're asking how something is done.

Try:

“Sorry?”

or:

“Sorry, could you say that again?”

“Can you repeat?”

This is understandable, but “Can you repeat that?” sounds more complete in this situation.

You can also say:

“Could you repeat that?”

And “Repeat, please” on its own can sound like an instruction, so a full question is usually a better choice.

Asking for clarification doesn't mean your English is bad

Good communication isn't about understanding every sentence immediately.

Native speakers ask each other to repeat things too, and people misunderstand each other in their own language.

In international teams, it matters even more. You may be speaking English with people who have very different accents, vocabulary and ways of expressing themselves.

So the goal isn't:

“I must understand everything the first time.”

A much more useful goal is:

“If something isn't clear, I know what to do next.”

Before you ask, identify what you need

You don't need ten phrases for every situation.

What you need is a simple way to recognise the problem and choose a response that fits.

If you didn't hear something:

REPEAT

“Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?”

If you heard the words but the idea isn't clear:

EXPLAIN

“Could you explain what you mean by...?”

If you think you understand but want to make sure:

CHECK

“So, if I understand correctly, we need to send it by Thursday. Is that right?”

Once you can recognise what you need, the same approach can help you in meetings, calls, lessons and everyday conversations.

And that is something you can practise.

If the problem isn't understanding but finding the moment to join the discussion, you might also find my article on how to speak up in English meetings useful.

Practise with a real situation

Knowing a phrase and being able to use it in the middle of a conversation are not always the same thing.

That's why I like working with situations you are likely to encounter in real life: a meeting, a call, a conversation with a colleague or a situation from your own daily life.

The aim isn't to memorise as many expressions as possible. It's to recognise what you need and have language ready that you can use.

If you'd like to work on your English for meetings, work or everyday communication, take a look at my Business English lessons or book a free trial lesson. We can look at the situations where you need English most.