German course

Lesson 67 of 240

New here? This is lesson 67 of a free 240-lesson German course.

Start hereHow this works

Say it a different way in German

The coffee machine at Bäckerei Krause hisses, and Renate talks over it too fast. Priya is a regular now, so she can use du and ask for a repair.

You'll ask her to say it another way, speak a bit louder, and name the last word you missed.

Anton at the corner table missed it too. When a word is unclear, ask what she means.

If someone takes you the wrong way, you can say that is not what you meant.

By the end of this lesson

Ask someone to rephrase, raise their voice, or confirm what you heard.

  • Kannst du das anders sagen?Can you say that another way?
  • Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen?Can you speak up a little?
  • Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.I can't hear you well.
  • Was war das letzte Wort?What was the last word?
  • Was meinst du mit ___?What do you mean by ___?
  • So habe ich das nicht gemeint.That's not what I meant.

Scene — the hissing machine

Priya pushes the bakery door. The coffee machine hisses at the counter, and Renate talks over it, too fast for the noise.

Anton sits at the corner table with two chairs. His Milchkaffee is still full, and he missed her last word too.

Priya enters the bakery as Renate works at the hissing coffee machine and Anton sits at the corner table with his full Milchkaffee.

Learn — say it another way

Six lines help you repair a talk: another way, a bit louder, and I can't hear you well.

You'll also ask for the last word, check what someone means, and say that is not what you meant.

  1. Priya opens her palms toward Renate, asking her to put the remark another way.

    Kannst du das anders sagen?

    Can you say that another way?

    When to use it: Ask a friend to say the same thing in other words.

    Use du with Renate now; she switched after your second visit.

  2. Priya leans toward Renate and asks her to speak up over the coffee machine.

    Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen?

    Can you speak up a little?

    When to use it: Ask a friend to speak a bit louder for you.

    Use this with a friend; shop staff you have just met get Sie.

    Say it: Sprechen starts with sp, said like shp.

  3. Anton turns toward Priya and Renate at the counter, trying to catch their conversation over the hiss.

    Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.

    I can't hear you well.

    When to use it: Say this when a friend's voice is too quiet.

    Dich is for a friend; a stranger still gets Sie here.

    Say it: Hören has ö: round your lips for that vowel.

  4. Anton looks puzzled beside his still-full Milchkaffee after missing Renate's last word.

    Was war das letzte Wort?

    What was the last word?

    When to use it: Ask this when you missed only the last word.

    Ask for the last word, not the whole sentence again.

  5. Priya raises a questioning hand toward Renate, asking what she means by free.

    Was meinst du mit ___?

    What do you mean by ___?

    When to use it: Ask a friend what one unclear word or phrase means.

    Fill the blank with the word you did not understand.

  6. Renate gently corrects Priya with both hands raised while Priya listens at the counter.

    So habe ich das nicht gemeint.

    That's not what I meant.

    When to use it: Use this when someone took your words the wrong way.

    The verb comes second: habe sits in second place here.

    Say it: Nicht has the soft ich sound, not the ach sound.

Story — the last word

Watch Priya at the hissing machine. Renate talks too fast, and the last word gets lost.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. The machine hisses. Renate looks up from the counter.
  2. RenateGuten Morgen.Good morning.
  3. PriyaWie geht's?How are you?
  4. RenateGut, danke. Deine Karte ist voll.I'm good, thanks. Your card is full.
  5. She keeps talking over the hiss. Priya leans in.
  6. PriyaIch kann dich nicht gut hören.I can't hear you well.
  7. Renate is still behind the machine.
  8. PriyaKannst du etwas lauter sprechen?Can you speak up a little?
  9. RenateDein Kaffee ist heute frei.Your coffee is free today.
  10. PriyaKannst du das anders sagen?Can you say that another way?
  11. RenateDu musst heute nicht bezahlen.You do not have to pay today.
  12. Anton looks up from his Milchkaffee.
  13. AntonWas war das letzte Wort?What was the last word?
  14. RenateBezahlen. Der Kaffee ist umsonst.Pay. The coffee is free.
  15. PriyaWas meinst du mit umsonst?What do you mean by free?
  16. RenateUmsonst heißt, dass du nichts bezahlen musst.Free means you do not have to pay.
  17. AntonNa, dann nehme ich den Kaffee. Der ist für alle umsonst.Well, then I'll take the coffee. It is free for everyone.
  18. RenateSo habe ich das nicht gemeint. Nur Priya bekommt ihn umsonst.That's not what I meant. Only Priya gets it free.

Practice — repair the talk

Eleven short exercises wait here. You'll listen, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.

They stay small, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    German

    Kannst du das anders sagen?Drop the English here
    Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.Drop the English here
    Was war das letzte Wort?Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its German, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    A friend spoke too fast. You want the same idea in other words.

  4. Fill the gap

    I can't hear you well.

    Ich kann dich nicht gut ____.

  5. What does it mean?

    Was war das letzte Wort?

  6. What do you say?

    You caught the sentence but not one word. Ask one friend what that word means.

  7. Pick the reply

    Anton says:

    Du meinst, der Kaffee ist für mich?

    You mean the coffee is for me?

    And you reply with:

  8. Build the line

    What was the last word?

    ?

    Tap the words in order.

  9. True or false?

    You say this in a shop in the morning.

  10. Which one doesn’t belong?

  11. Pick the reply

    Renate says:

    Wie geht's?

    How are you?

    And you reply with:

Say it — say it back

Now you're Priya at the counter. The machine is loud. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. RenateDeine Karte ist voll.Your card is full.
  2. Priya (you)Tell her you cannot hear her well.

    Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.

    I can't hear you well.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

GermanEnglish
Kannst du das anders sagen?Can you say that another way?
Kannst du etwas lauter sprechen?Can you speak up a little?
Ich kann dich nicht gut hören.I can't hear you well.
Was war das letzte Wort?What was the last word?
Was meinst du mit ___?What do you mean by ___?
So habe ich das nicht gemeint.That's not what I meant.
Next: lesson 68What the neighbourhood is like

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these repair lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your repair lines ready at the counter.

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