Becoming a good user of a language doesn’t mean that you pick up everything in all circumstances. I’d argue that what makes you a good user is developing the abilities which are necessary to navigate a conversation as smoothly as you possibly can.
To be able to do it with elegance and without panicking is learning to ask for repetition. How do you do it? It depends on the context, but there are a few phrases you can apply quite confidently in almost any situation.
Let’s get them down, shall we?
¿Cómo?
In Argentina you can equal sorry? to ¿cómo? and play it safe. Just one word? Yep, just one word, but make sure your face and intonation matches your intention! It’s very easy to get distracted in using a phrase and then forgetting the theatrical skills involved in using it right.
¿Disculpá?
This is a strange one. You would typically use an imperative without question marks, but if you don’t understand what’s being said, you can use ¿disculpá? to show you missed something.
You could accompany ¿disculpá? with the specific information you lost. For example:
- ¿Disculpá? ¿Cómo dijiste que se llama el lugar?
- ¿Disculpá? ¿Dijiste Loderman?
¿Perdón?
Similarly, you could use ¿perdón? to signal you’re not following. You could even clarify, as in beg your pardon?
- ¿Perdón? No te entendí
- ¿Perdón? No escuché
Basically, you can use any of this three and you’ll be on your way to get back to the conversation.
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Enjoy the ride!
Happy Spanish learning!
You might also want to read these articles:
- Argentinian SayingsIn this list you’ll find many of the most frequent sayings in every day Argentinian Spanish.
- Ni la más p*ta ideaWhat do you say (informally) when you don’t have the faintest idea?
- Negative thoughtsCoping with negative thoughts is part of learning a language. A really decisive one, I’d say.
- Everyday Expressions with “¡Qué…!”Learn some cool expressions with Argentinian seasoning!
- Venture Out has its song!AI takes many shapes. The latest is Venture Out’s jingle.
- Binomial Pairs IIThis is part II of binomial pairs. Today it’s all about repetition. Today is all about repetition.