Welcome to Lesson 47 — we’ll practice short, friendly phrases to fix problems in conversation. Say them aloud, notice how they’re used, then try them yourself.
Level A2: This lesson focuses on practical phrases for repairing conversations — asking someone to repeat, explaining you missed something, and clarifying meanings. You'll hear the core phrases in a short dialogue, practice with quizzes and matching, and then speak each phrase yourself. CEFR-aligned and ready for real chats.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
Recognize and use common German phrases to ask for repetition or clarification.
Explain briefly when you didn't hear or understand something (audio problems, missed parts).
Politely invite correction and check word meanings in everyday conversation.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
So habe ich das nicht gemeint.
That's not what I meant.
Meaning: That’s not what I meant.
When to use: Use this to gently correct someone who has misunderstood your intention.
So habe ich das nicht gemeint. Ich wollte wirklich helfen.
That’s not what I meant. I really wanted to help.
So habe ich das nicht gemeint; das war nur ein Vorschlag.
That’s not what I meant; it was only a suggestion.
Korrigier mich bitte, wenn ich falschliege.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Meaning: Please correct me if I’m wrong.
When to use: Say this when you want someone to point out mistakes or correct your facts.
Korrigier mich bitte, wenn ich falschliege — ich glaube, das Meeting ist um zwei.
Please correct me if I’m wrong — I think the meeting is at two.
Korrigier mich bitte, wenn ich falschliege: Das war letzte Woche, oder?
Please correct me if I’m wrong: That was last week, right?
Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen?
Can you speak up a little?
Meaning: Can you speak up a little?
When to use: Ask this when the other person is too quiet or the audio is low.
Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen? Ich höre dich kaum.
Can you speak up a little? I can hardly hear you.
Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen, bitte? Die Verbindung ist schlecht.
Can you speak up a little, please? The connection is bad.
Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.
I can't hear you well.
Meaning: I can’t hear you well.
When to use: Use this to tell the speaker their volume or audio quality is low.
Ich kann dich nicht gut hören — kannst du das wiederholen?
I can’t hear you well — can you repeat that?
Ich kann dich nicht gut hören. Bist du noch da?
I can’t hear you well. Are you still there?
Die Verbindung ist schlecht.
The connection is bad.
Meaning: The connection is bad.
When to use: Explain technical issues during a phone or video call that cause misunderstandings.
Die Verbindung ist schlecht — ich höre nur Teile des Gesprächs.
The connection is bad — I only hear parts of the conversation.
Die Verbindung ist schlecht. Wollen wir das Meeting verschieben?
The connection is bad. Shall we postpone the meeting?
Den letzten Teil habe ich nicht mitbekommen.
I missed the last part.
Meaning: I missed the last part.
When to use: Say this when you didn’t catch the end of what someone said and need it repeated.
Den letzten Teil habe ich nicht mitbekommen — kannst du ihn noch einmal sagen?
I missed the last part — can you say it again?
Den letzten Teil habe ich nicht mitbekommen; fassen Sie das bitte kurz zusammen.
I missed the last part; please summarize it briefly.
Was war das letzte Wort?
What was the last word?
Meaning: What was the last word?
When to use: Ask this when only one word was unclear or garbled.
Was war das letzte Wort? Ich habe es nicht verstanden.
What was the last word? I didn’t understand it.
Was war das letzte Wort — hast du 'Termin' gesagt?
What was the last word — did you say 'appointment'?
Was meinst du mit ___?
What do you mean by ___?
Meaning: What do you mean by ___?
When to use: Use this to ask for the intended meaning of a word or phrase in context.
Was meinst du mit 'flexibel'? Meinst du Zeit oder Ort?
What do you mean by 'flexible'? Do you mean time or place?
Was meinst du mit ___? Kannst du ein Beispiel geben?
What do you mean by ___? Can you give an example?
Bei ___ bin ich etwas verwirrt.
I'm confused about ___.
Meaning: I’m confused about ___.
When to use: Point to the specific part that is causing confusion so the speaker can explain.
Bei der Terminfestlegung bin ich etwas verwirrt — wer bestätigt das?
I’m confused about scheduling — who confirms it?
Bei diesem Punkt bin ich etwas verwirrt. Kannst du das anders erklären?
I’m confused about this point. Can you explain it differently?
Ist das das richtige Wort?
Is this the right word?
Meaning: Is this the right word?
When to use: Check whether the word you chose is correct in the current context.
Tip: Learners sometimes omit the second 'das' by mistake; both 'das' words are correct here.
Ist das das richtige Wort — 'verschieben' statt 'verschieben'?
Is this the right word — 'verschieben' instead of 'verschieben'?
Ist das das richtige Wort? Ich möchte sicher sein.
Is this the right word? I want to be sure.
Welche meinst du?
Which one do you mean?
Meaning: Which one do you mean?
When to use: Ask this when there are multiple options and you need the speaker to specify.
Welche meinst du — die rote oder die blaue Datei?
Which one do you mean — the red or the blue file?
Welche meinst du? Kannst du kurz zeigen, welche Datei?
Which one do you mean? Can you quickly show which file?
Sorry, ich hab dich kurz nicht gehört.
Sorry, I lost you for a moment.
Meaning: Sorry, I lost you for a moment.
When to use: Use this casual phrase when you briefly dropped from the call or didn’t hear something.
Sorry, ich hab dich kurz nicht gehört. Kannst du das wiederholen?
Sorry, I lost you for a moment. Can you repeat that?
Sorry, ich hab dich kurz nicht gehört — die Verbindung war schlecht.
Sorry, I lost you for a moment — the connection was bad.
2. Conversational Listening Practice
Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.
A short video-call repair
What problem interrupts the conversation?
Anna
Die Verbindung ist schlecht. Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen?
The connection is bad. Can you speak up a little?
David
Sorry, ich hab dich kurz nicht gehört. Was hast du gesagt?
Sorry, I lost you for a moment. What did you say?
Anna
Den letzten Teil habe ich nicht mitbekommen — kannst du das wiederholen?
I missed the last part — can you repeat that?
David
Korrigier mich bitte, wenn ich falschliege: Meinst du mit 'flexibel' die Uhrzeit?
Please correct me if I’m wrong: Do you mean 'flexible' in terms of time?
Anna
Was meinst du mit 'flexibel'? Bei der Uhrzeit bin ich etwas verwirrt.
What do you mean by 'flexible'? I’m confused about the time.
David
So habe ich das nicht gemeint — ich meinte die Dauer, nicht die Zeit.
That’s not what I meant — I meant the duration, not the time.
3. Guided Practice
Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.
Which German phrase politely asks someone to correct you if you’re wrong?
Which phrase says you couldn't hear someone clearly?
Which phrase asks someone to repeat a single unclear word?
Which phrase explains a short drop in audio during a call?
The connection is bad — I think the last word was 'appointment'.
On a shaky call: ___ — ich glaube, das letzte Wort war 'Termin'.
Sorry, I lost you for a moment — can you say that again?
After a pause: '___ — kannst du das nochmal sagen?'
What was the last word?
If you hear one unclear word: '___?'
Match the core phrases
Match the extra phrases
4. Speaking Practice
Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).
Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.
