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Lesson 229 of 238

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Let me clear that up in Spanish

Justin gives an opinion about Café Laurel's new menu, but Michael hears something much stronger than Justin intended.

You'll learn how to deny an overstatement, restate your point, and explain that your wording caused the confusion.

These chunks help you correct a misunderstanding without restarting the whole argument.

By the end of this lesson

Correct a misunderstanding of your opinion without starting the argument again.

  • No digo que ___I'm not saying ___
  • A lo que me refiero es ___What I mean is ___
  • Me entendiste malYou got me wrong
  • Gracias por dejarme aclararloThanks for letting me clear that up
  • Quedó claro, entoncesSo we're clear
  • Fue mi forma de decirloIt was the way I said it

Scene — a menu misunderstanding

Late afternoon at Café Laurel, after Michael and Justin have been discussing the café's expanded menu. Yako is nearby on his usual two chairs.

Justin made a moderate suggestion, but Michael interpreted it as a demand to remove every new dish.

Justin now needs to correct the impression without turning the conversation into another debate.

Justin and Michael sit at a small outdoor Café Laurel table after discussing the expanded menu, with Justin calmly correcting Michael's exaggerated interpretation.

Learn — correcting a misread opinion

These six chunks form a calm repair sequence: deny the extreme version, state your real meaning, then acknowledge the misunderstanding.

The final two lines help both people close the exchange without reopening the debate.

  1. Justin gently denies that he demanded removing every new dish, while Michael listens nearby with a puzzled posture.

    No digo que ___

    I'm not saying ___

    When to use it: Use this to reject an interpretation that makes your opinion sound stronger than you intended.

    The blank can introduce a full idea, often with a verb in the subjunctive after digo que.

    Say it: Digo sounds like DEE-goh; keep the first syllable clear.

  2. Justin explains his actual moderate point with a thoughtful gesture toward a few selected dishes rather than the whole menu.

    A lo que me refiero es ___

    What I mean is ___

    When to use it: Use this to replace a mistaken interpretation with the point you actually intended.

    A lo que me refiero is a fairly neutral clarification; follow it with a noun, phrase, or complete idea.

    Say it: Refiero has stress on the second syllable: reh-FYEH-roh.

  3. Justin acknowledges that Michael misunderstood him, with an apologetic but composed expression as Michael looks embarrassed.

    Me entendiste mal

    You got me wrong

    When to use it: Say this when someone has drawn the wrong conclusion from what you said.

    This is direct but not automatically rude; your tone determines whether it sounds corrective or accusatory.

  4. Justin gratefully gestures toward Michael after clarifying the misunderstanding, and Michael relaxes with a receptive smile.

    Gracias por dejarme aclararlo

    Thanks for letting me clear that up

    When to use it: Use this after someone gives you room to explain a misunderstood point.

    Dejarme aclararlo means letting me clarify it, with the pronouns attached to the infinitive.

  5. Michael confirms that the clarification is understood with a confident nod, while Justin listens calmly.

    Quedó claro, entonces

    So we're clear

    When to use it: Say this when both people have reached the same understanding and you want to close the clarification.

    Quedó claro sounds settled and cooperative; it does not ask the other person to keep defending their opinion.

  6. Justin takes responsibility for the confusion by acknowledging that his wording caused the misunderstanding, while Michael responds sympathetically.

    Fue mi forma de decirlo

    It was the way I said it

    When to use it: Use this to take responsibility for wording that made your meaning easy to misunderstand.

    This softens the correction by focusing on your phrasing rather than blaming the listener.

Story — one point taken too far

Watch Justin repair a misunderstanding about his opinion on the café menu. He first rejects Michael's extreme interpretation, then explains the point he actually meant.

The highlighted chunks are today's lines. Yako stays quiet until the misunderstanding is settled.

  1. Michael has a menu draft open on the table, with several new dishes circled in red.
  2. MichaelEntonces quieres quitar todo lo nuevo del menú.So you want to remove everything new from the menu.
  3. JustinEso no es lo que quise decir. No digo que deban quitar todo.That's not what I meant. I'm not saying they should remove everything.
  4. MichaelAh, entonces ¿qué propones exactamente?Oh, so what exactly are you proposing?
  5. JustinA lo que me refiero es que podrían revisar las porciones.What I mean is that they could review the portions.
  6. MichaelCreo que te entendí como una crítica a todo el menú.I think I understood you as criticizing the whole menu.
  7. JustinMe entendiste mal; solo hablaba de las porciones.You got me wrong; I was only talking about the portions.
  8. MichaelYa veo. Gracias por explicarlo sin volver a discutir todo.I see. Thanks for explaining it without arguing about everything again.
  9. JustinGracias por dejarme aclararlo.Thanks for letting me clear that up.
  10. Michael¿Qué opinas de las porciones?What do you think of the portions?
  11. JustinSí, esa es mi propuesta.Yes, that's my proposal.
  12. MichaelQuedó claro, entonces.So we're clear.
  13. JustinFue mi forma de decirlo; soné más tajante de lo que quería.It was the way I said it; I sounded more definite than I wanted.
  14. YakoEntonces una porción para mí, por favor.Then one portion for me, please.
  15. MichaelUna porción pequeña, Yako.A small portion, Yako.

Practice — say what you meant

Practice the order and the tone, not just the translation. You'll listen for nuance, fill gaps, identify clear corrections, and build a natural closing.

Read the English situation carefully before choosing.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    No digo que ___Drop the English here
    A lo que me refiero es ___Drop the English here
    Me entendiste malDrop the English here
    ¿Quedó claro?Drop the English here

    English

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

  3. Fill the gap

    What I mean is ___

    A lo que me ____ es ___

  4. What do you say?

    Michael thinks you want to remove every new dish, but you only suggested reviewing portion sizes.

  5. Pick the reply

    Michael says:

    Creo que quieres criticar todo el menú.

    I think you want to criticize the whole menu.

    And you reply with:

  6. What does it mean?

    Gracias por dejarme aclararlo

  7. Find the mistake

  8. Which one doesn’t belong?

  9. Build the line

    Is that clear?

    ¿ ?

    Tap the words in order.

  10. True or false?

    This line takes some responsibility for wording that caused confusion.

  11. What did you hear?

Say it — clear up the point

Now take Justin's side while Michael checks what he understood. Correct the overstatement, state your real point, and close the exchange calmly.

Tap ▶ to hear each model line, then tap the microphone when it's your turn. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. MichaelEntonces quieres quitar todos los platillos nuevos.So you want to remove all the new dishes.
  2. Justin (you)Reject that extreme interpretation.

    No digo que ___

    I'm not saying ___

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
No digo que ___I'm not saying ___
A lo que me refiero es ___What I mean is ___
Me entendiste malYou got me wrong
Gracias por dejarme aclararloThanks for letting me clear that up
Quedó claro, entoncesSo we're clear
Fue mi forma de decirloIt was the way I said it
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

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

Use a Yak Card to practice denying the overstatement, stating your point, and closing calmly.

Open Yak Cards