I Don't Understand
A slightly more formal synonym for 'No entiendo'. Use it when you want to sound a bit more polite or serious.
A practical question meaning 'Can you repeat, please?'. Use this immediately after 'No entiendo' to ask for clarification.
Means 'Slower, please'. This is a direct and polite request for the speaker to slow down.
This means 'I don't know'. Use it when you lack information, not when you fail to understand something being said.
Excuse me, I don't understand the question.
You speak too fast for me. I don't understand.
I don't understand. Can you repeat, please?
Slower, please. My Spanish is basic.
'No entiendo' is the most common and universally understood phrase across all of Latin America. 'No comprendo' is also universal but can feel slightly more formal.
Usage is identical to Latin America; 'No entiendo' is the standard phrase. When asking a group of peers to repeat, they would say '¿Podéis repetir?', but the core phrase 'No entiendo' does not change.
'No entiendo' is the default. In very informal slang, you might hear 'No capto', but as a learner, you should stick with 'No entiendo'.
'No entiendo' is standard. The pronunciation will reflect the local 'Rioplatense' accent, but the words are the same.
Using 'No sé' instead of 'No entiendo'. — 'No sé' means 'I don't know' (a lack of information). 'No entiendo' means 'I don't understand' (a failure to comprehend). If someone explains something and you don't get it, the correct phrase is 'No entiendo'.
Saying 'Yo no entiendo'. — While grammatically correct, Spanish speakers almost always drop the subject pronoun ('yo' for 'I') when it's clear from the verb. Saying just 'No entiendo' sounds much more natural.
Incorrectly conjugating the verb, like 'No entendo'. — The verb is 'entender', which is a stem-changing verb. The 'e' in the stem changes to 'ie' in the 'yo' form. So, it's 'entiendo', not 'entendo'.