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When a real conversation goes faster than your French, you need a small toolkit of phrases for stopping the flow politely and asking the speaker to repeat, slow down, or explain. French has these phrases — but they are unusually register-sensitive, and a phrase that works between friends can sound rude or dismissive when used with a stranger. Quoi ? and Pardon ? both translate to What?, but using quoi with someone you don't know will make you sound impatient or even hostile, while pardon is universally polite. Knowing which phrase to deploy in which context is one of the most practical pieces of French you can learn at the A2 level.

This page covers the full range of clarification phrases — from the briefest interjection (pardon ?) to the longest polite request (excusez-moi, pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?). It separates the formulas by what you are actually asking for: a repeat, a slower pace, a meaning explanation, a spelling. It also flags the politeness traps that learners stumble into and gives a small set of all-purpose phrases that work in nearly any situation.

The four things you might be asking for

When a French speaker says something you don't fully catch, your need usually falls into one of four categories. Different phrases match different needs.

Most learners default to a single phrase (je ne comprends pas) for all four needs. This works in a pinch but loses information — the speaker can't tell whether the problem is volume, speed, vocabulary, or comprehension. Specifying the problem leads to a more useful response.

The most useful single phrase: pardon ?

If you remember only one phrase from this page, make it pardon ? — pronounced /paʁ.dɔ̃/, with rising intonation. It works as a one-word clarification request in nearly any context: with strangers, with friends, with service staff, with bosses. It is short, polite, and unambiguously means could you say that again?

The single word does the work. The speaker will repeat or rephrase. Pardon ? is also useful when you've heard a name or term you didn't catch — repeating pardon ? on a specific word signals which part you missed.

The polite ladder for asking a repeat

For longer or more formal contexts, French has a graduated set of phrases of increasing politeness.

Casual: comment ?

Among friends, peers, and family, Comment ? (literally how?) is the standard one-word what?

This is informal but not rude — it's the everyday equivalent of English huh? or what?. It would be slightly odd in a formal interaction but is the natural choice with people you know.

Casual but rougher: quoi ?

Quoi ? (literally what?) is the casual cousin of comment. It carries a slightly abrupt edge — usable with friends but readable as rude with strangers or in formal settings.

A good rule of thumb: use quoi only with people you would be comfortable using tu with, and even then prefer comment or pardon in any moment of friction. Saying quoi to a shop assistant or stranger will likely register as impatient.

Polite: pardon ?

As covered above — neutral, polite, universally usable.

Formal: pourriez-vous répéter ?

For more formal situations, full polite questions work well. Note the vouvoiement and the conditional pourriez (the polite form of pouvez).

The conditional (pourriez) is more polite than the indicative (pouvez); both are acceptable. S'il vous plaît on the end raises politeness further.

Asking for a slower pace

A different problem: you heard the speaker, but they spoke too fast for you to process. The solution is a request for slower speech.

The phrases plus lentement and moins vite both work — plus lentement (more slowly) is slightly more formal and clearer; moins vite (less fast) is more conversational. Doucement (gently/softly) is sometimes used to mean slowly in this context, especially in friendly speech.

Adding a self-explanation — je débute en français (I'm a beginner), je ne suis pas natif (I'm not a native speaker), je suis étranger (I'm a foreigner) — helps the speaker calibrate. French people generally adapt readily to non-native speakers when they know they are talking with one.

Asking what something means

When you heard a word but don't know its meaning, the standard phrase uses the construction qu'est-ce que ça veut dire (literally what is it that that wants to say).

The verb vouloir dire (literally to want to say) is the standard French way of saying to mean — French does not have a direct verb equivalent of English mean in the to mean X sense. Signifier is more formal and technical; vouloir dire is the everyday form.

Asking how something is spelled

For names, addresses, or unfamiliar words, you may need to ask for the spelling.

The verb épeler (to spell out, letter by letter) is the technical term. Ça s'écrit comment / comment ça s'écrit (how is it written) is the common conversational form.

Confirming understanding

Once you think you've understood, you can verify by reflecting back what you heard.

These confirmation phrases are extremely useful — they let you offer your understanding for the speaker to confirm or correct, which is more efficient than a full re-explanation.

The phrase si je comprends bien (if I understand correctly) is a fluent way to start a recap. It signals that what follows is your interpretation, which the speaker can affirm or amend.

Buying time

Sometimes you need a moment to process before responding. French has a small set of phrases for politely pausing.

The phrase comment dire (literally how to say) is the French equivalent of English how can I put this — a common filler when you are searching for the right word.

When you genuinely don't understand

The all-purpose statement of incomprehension:

These are useful when the problem is more global than a single word or sentence — when the whole topic, structure, or context has slipped away from you. Asking vous pouvez expliquer ? (can you explain?) follows naturally.

Tu vs vous: matching the politeness

A point that learners often miss: the tu/vous choice in your clarification request must match the rest of the conversation. If you've been talking with someone using vous, switching to tu in a clarification request would be jarring and inappropriate.

The excuse-moi / excusez-moi distinction is particularly important because it opens many clarification requests. In a formal context, always excusez-moi. In casual context with a friend, excuse-moi. Mismatching this is one of the most common register errors learners make.

Putting it together: a sample exchange

Here is how a real interaction might play out at a bakery, where the speaker has missed several details:

— Bonjour, je voudrais une baguette, s'il vous plaît. — Bonjour. Tradition ou ordinaire ? — Pardon ? — Tradition ou ordinaire ? On a deux types de baguette. — Ah, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire, « tradition » ? — La baguette tradition est faite à l'ancienne, avec une cuisson plus lente. — D'accord, je comprends. Une tradition, alors. Et... vous pouvez répéter le prix, s'il vous plaît ? — Un euro vingt. — Merci.

Note the moves: Pardon ? for an immediate repeat, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire for a vocabulary clarification, vous pouvez répéter le prix for a specific repeat, all in the vous register appropriate for a stranger in a service interaction. This is the rhythm of clarification: short, polite, focused on the specific gap.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

Asking for clarification in French depends on matching the phrase to the situation. The single safest phrase is pardon ? — short, polite, universally usable. Among friends and peers, comment ? works well; quoi ? is casual but can read as rude with strangers. For specific requests, French distinguishes the type of clarification: vous pouvez répéter ? for a repeat, vous pouvez parler plus lentement ? for slower speech, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ? for vocabulary, comment ça s'écrit ? for spelling, and vous voulez dire que... ? for confirming understanding. The tu/vous register must match the rest of the conversation — excuse-moi with friends, excusez-moi with strangers, and never mix the two within a single request. When you genuinely lose the thread, je ne comprends pas paired with vous pouvez expliquer ? gives the speaker a clear signal that you need a fuller re-explanation. Build these phrases into automatic reflexes — they are the difference between a conversation you can save and one that breaks down.