Click on the Module Activities button for student activities.

In any normal conversation between people, there will times when one person will not hear or understand what the other has said. The probability that this will happen increases greatly when taking an order in a crowded restaurant or checking in a group of boisterous chattering travelers. There are several expressions that can be used to ask for a repeat. Look at the expressions below.      

        Excuse me.

              Pardon me.

              Please say that again.

              Can you repeat that please?

              I'm sorry.

              I'm sorry, I didn't catch that          

Dialogues

Guest: Could I have more soap in the bathroom?

Staff:  I’m sorry; could you repeat that, please?

Guest: I need more soap.

Guest: Which way to the gym?

Staff: Pardon me.

Guest: How do I get to the gym?

Guest: I’d like to schedule a tennis game.

Staff: I’m sorry sir; could you say that again.

Guest: I want to reserve a tennis court.

Of course, there are other things that hinder communication besides not hearing someone. For example, unknown vocabulary words, or idiomatic expressions that the listener does not understand, or the speaker is just talking way too fast for the listener to comprehend. Fortunately there are expression that can be used to cover these situation as well. Look at these examples. 

          Please speak more slowly.

          I’m sorry; I don’t understand that expression.

          What does _________ mean ?

          Can you give me an example?

          I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean.

      Point to Remember

         Sometimes it may be helpful if a guest asks for something to be

         repeated, to rephrase what was said by using different words. The guest

         may not understand a particular word's meaning or have trouble

         understanding the pronunciation of a specific word. By re-phrasing,

         communication may be facilitated. 

Dialogues

Guest: Do you have any Tabasco sauce?

Staff: Tabasco sauce? I’m sorry; I don’t know what that is.

Guest: It’s a hot sauce. It comes in a small bottle. It’s put on pizza and tacos.

Guest: Does this dish have any shrimp in it?

Staff: Excuse me, I didn’t understand that. Could you speak more slowly?

Guest: This dish, is there shrimp in it?

Guest: It's raining cats and dogs out there.

Staff: Raining cats and dogs?  I don’t understand that expression.

Guest: That expression just means that it is raining a lot.

Staff: Aah, I see.

Practice

Practice using the above expressions by having a dialogue similar to the ones above with a partner, one partner taking the role of the guest and the other the role of the staff. For additional practice, switch roles. Practice the dialogue several times, trying to use all of the expressions noted above.

Other Useful TEFL Links

Yada-Yada English

 An English conversation language site for students and teachers

focusing on English expressions used for various functions

and situations.

TEFL Daddy 

Frank and friendly advice written by an experienced
EFL teacher & former Peace Corps Volunteer:
working overseas since 1989

TEFL Boot Camp

Free Online TEFL Training

What you need to know to start

Teaching English Overseas

TEFl Temp

TEFL Temp is your short-term EFL jobs directory:

Short-term English Teaching Jobs around the World

TEFL-ebooks

 TEFL eBooks featuring Country Guides, ESP Manuals

                   and other publications written by experienced teachers

who have spent significant time overseas.

The Ultimate Peru List

A guide for people living or planning to move to Peru

The Latin American Job List

Find work as an English teacher in the Caribbean,

Central America and South America. With The

LA Job List you’re given access to hundreds of

Latin American schools, institutes and universities

that need English teachers like you.

Check out TEFL

related websites