Learn how to ask for clarification
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| Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
| First is Freut mich, literally "It pleases me," but translates as “Nice to meet you." Freut mich. Freut mich. |
| Freut mich is actually a shortened version of Es freut mich, dich kennenzulernen, meaning "It pleases me to become acquainted with you." Es freut mich, dich kennenzulernen. |
| Jonas uses the shortened version, Freut mich, in his introduction. This version can be used in many contexts and is appropriate for both informal and formal situations. |
| Next is Ich heiße Jonas. "I'm Jonas." Ich heiße Jonas. |
| First is Ich, "I." Ich. Ich. |
| Next is heiße, "[am] called." Heiße. Heiße. |
| Heiße is from the verb, heißen, "to be called." Heiße. |
| Last is the name, Jonas. Jonas. Jonas. |
| Note: Jonas only uses his given name. Sasha and Jonas are young adults in an informal situation, so he only uses his given name. |
| Together, it’s Ich heiße Jonas. Literally "I [am] called Jonas," but it translates as "I’m Jonas." Ich heiße Jonas. |
| All together, it’s Freut mich. Ich heiße Jonas. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jonas." |
| Ich heiße Jonas. |
| Sasha can’t catch his name. |
| Do you remember how she asks, |
| "Excuse me. Can you repeat that? |
| Entschuldigung, kannst du das wiederholen? |
| First is Entschuldigung. "Excuse me." Entschuldigung. Entschuldigung. |
| Next is kannst du, "can you." Kannst du. Kannst du. |
| Kannst is from the verb können, "to be able." Können. |
| Du is the informal word for "you." Du. Du. |
| Together, kannst du, "can you." |
| Next is das, "that," in this context. Das. Das. |
| Last is wiederholen, "repeat." Wiederholen. Wiederholen. |
| Together, kannst du das wiederholen, literally, "can you that repeat," but it translates as, "can you repeat that?" Kannst du das wiederholen? |
| All together, Entschuldigung, kannst du das wiederholen? "Excuse me, can you repeat that?" |
| Entschuldigung, kannst du das wiederholen? |
| Finally, do you remember how Jonas says, |
| "I’m Jonas." |
| Hint, you’ve heard it before. |
| Ich heiße Jonas. "I’m Jonas." |
| Ich heiße Jonas. |
| In this lesson, you learned how to ask for clarification in an informal situation: |
| Entschuldigung, kannst du das wiederholen? |
| "Excuse me, can you repeat that?" |
| To ask for clarification in a formal situation: |
| Entschuldigung, können Sie das wiederholen? |
| Excuse me, can you repeat that? |
| Entschuldigung, können Sie das wiederholen? |
| For formal situations replace kannst du with können Sie. |
| Können Sie, "can you." Können Sie. Können Sie. |
| Note können Sie literally means "can they,” as in "Can they repeat that," but it's also a formal way to address a single person, as is the case here, where Sasha is addressing Jonas. Können Sie. |
| Können, "to be able." Können. Können. |
| Sie, "you," when using formal German. Sie. Sie. |
| Together können Sie, "can you." können Sie. |
| The following is another useful way to ask someone to provide information: |
| Kannst du das aufschreiben? "Can you write it down?" |
| Kannst du das aufschreiben? |
| For formal situations replace kannst du with können Sie. |
| Können Sie das aufschreiben? "Can you write it down?" (formal) |
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