What did you say
A very common and quick way to ask for repetition, similar to saying 'Sorry?' or 'Pardon?' in English.
A polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves, equivalent to 'Pardon?' or 'Excuse me?'.
Use this formal version when speaking to someone older, a person in authority, or someone you don't know well (the 'usted' form).
A complete, polite sentence that literally means 'Can you repeat, please?'. It's very clear and useful for beginners.
Speak up. What did you say? I didn't hear you.
A: My number is five-five-five... B: Sorry? Can you speak more slowly?
(In a noisy restaurant) Pardon? I can't hear anything with this music.
Excuse me, sir, what did you say? I didn't understand the address.
While '¿Qué dijiste?' is common, you will frequently hear '¿Mande?'. It's a uniquely Mexican and very polite way to say 'Pardon?' or 'What did you say?'.
The informal plural form is '¿Qué dijisteis?'. It's also common to use the present perfect tense, '¿Qué has dicho?', which has the same meaning.
The verb form is the same, '¿Qué dijiste?', but it's used with the pronoun 'vos'. So you would hear '¿Qué dijiste vos?'. '¿Cómo?' is also extremely common.
Usage is standard. '¿Qué dijiste?', '¿Cómo?' and '¿Perdón?' are all very common and used interchangeably depending on politeness and context.
Just saying '¿Qué?' by itself. This can sound abrupt or rude, like saying 'What?!' in English. It's much more polite to use '¿Cómo?' or '¿Perdón?'.
Confusing the formal and informal. Use '¿Qué dijiste?' for friends (tú) and '¿Qué dijo?' for elders or strangers (usted). Mixing them up can sound overly familiar or strangely distant.
Using the wrong verb. Some learners might try to translate literally and say something like '¿Qué hablaste?' (What did you speak?). The correct verb for 'say' is 'decir', making '¿Qué dijiste?' the natural phrase.
Found this useful? Save it for later.
how to say listen in spanish
phrase