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Italian Grammar Saturday, 7th February 7 min read

Italian Phrases to Ask for Clarification (Politely, Naturally, Confidently)

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Vurbit Team

Language Expert

Italian Phrases to Ask for Clarification (Politely, Naturally, Confidently)

In real conversations, you will miss things. That’s normal—even advanced learners. What matters is how you recover.

In English we often say “Sorry?” or “Huh?” In Italian, you can do the same (e.g., Scusa?), but you’ll sound much more natural if you ask for clarification in a specific, polite way.

If you’re asking “Did they say <em>sia</em> or <em>sei</em>?” in the middle of a conversation, a quick conjugation check helps you recover fast. For an offline option, try Vurbit’s Italian conjugation reference on iOS.

Table of Contents

The 3 best default phrases

If you learn just three, learn these. They’re polite, flexible, and common.

  • Puoi ripetere, per favore? (Can you repeat, please?)
  • Come, scusa? / Come, prego? (Sorry, what was that?)
  • Cosa vuol dire? (What does it mean?)

Useful variants:

  • Puoi ripetere un attimo? (Can you repeat for a second?)
  • Puoi ripetere l’ultima parola? (Can you repeat the last word?)
  • Cosa significa “___”? (What does “___” mean?)

How to ask someone to repeat

Asking to repeat is fine, but Italians often soften it with un attimo, un secondo, or scusa.

Tu form (informal)

  • Scusa, puoi ripetere?
  • Puoi ripetere un attimo?
  • Me lo ripeti? (Can you repeat it to me?)
  • Non ho capito. (I didn’t understand.)

Lei form (polite/formal)

  • Mi scusi, può ripetere?
  • Potrebbe ripetere, per favore? (Could you repeat, please?)
  • Non ho capito, mi scusi.

Micro-tip: If you can point to the missing piece, do it. It reduces stress for both of you.

  • Puoi ripetere l’ultima frase? (the last sentence)
  • Puoi ripetere l’ultima parola? (the last word)
  • Puoi ripetere più lentamente? (more slowly)

How to ask them to slow down

When you’re following the topic but losing details, don’t ask to repeat everything—ask to slow down.

  • Puoi parlare un po’ più lentamente? (Can you speak a bit more slowly?)
  • Puoi parlare più piano? (Can you speak slower?)
  • Puoi andare più piano? (Literally “Can you go slower?” very common)
  • Scusa, troppo veloce! (Sorry, too fast!)

Common mistake: learners overuse lentamente. Italians often say più piano or più lentamente. Both work; più piano is especially natural in speech.

How to ask “what does it mean?”

Two super-useful patterns:

  • Cosa vuol dire? (What does it mean?)
  • Cosa significa? (What does it mean?)

Add the word/phrase:

  • Cosa vuol dire “magari”?
  • Cosa significa “mica”?
  • Che significa “ci sta”? (very spoken)

Ask for an example (this is gold for learning):

  • Mi fai un esempio? (Can you give me an example?)
  • Me lo dici in un’altra maniera? (Can you say it in another way?)
  • Come si usa in una frase? (How do you use it in a sentence?)

How to ask for spelling

Spelling is common for names, emails, addresses, and new vocabulary.

  • Come si scrive? (How do you write/spell it?)
  • Me lo puoi scrivere? (Can you write it to me?)
  • Puoi fare lo spelling? (Can you spell it out?)
  • Si scrive con la doppia? (Is it spelled with a double consonant?)

Examples with doubles (a classic Italian pain point):

  • “Pala” o “palla”? (shovel vs ball)
  • “Pene” o “penne”? (Careful: very different!)
  • È “anno” con due n, giusto? (year)

How to confirm what you heard

This is the fastest, most natural strategy: repeat back what you think you heard and let the other person correct you.

  • Hai detto “___”, giusto? (You said “___”, right?)
  • Intendi dire che…? (Do you mean that…?)
  • Quindi… + summary (So…)

Examples:

  • Hai detto “ci vediamo alle otto”, giusto?
  • Quindi domani non lavori, ho capito bene?
  • Intendi dire che devo prenotare prima?

Very natural filler while you process:

  • Allora… (So…)
  • Dunque… (So/Well then…)
  • Aspetta un attimo… (Wait a second…)

Register notes (tu/Lei) + what to avoid

Tu vs Lei: With strangers (especially older people, customer service, officials), use Lei forms:

  • Mi scusi (not scusa)
  • può / potrebbe (not puoi)

What to avoid (or use carefully):

  • Eh? can sound abrupt depending on tone.
  • Cosa? alone can sound rude. Prefer Come, scusa? or Scusa?
  • Non capisco niente (I understand nothing) is dramatic. Better: Non ho capito bene (I didn’t quite understand).

Mini-dialogues you can copy

1) In a bar (fast speech)

Barista: Vuoi anche una brioche?

Tu: Scusa, puoi ripetere? Hai detto brioche?

Barista: Sì, una brioche. Con crema o marmellata?

Tu: Ah ok! Con crema, grazie. (E puoi parlare un po’ più piano?)

2) On the phone (hard mode)

Operatore: Le ho inviato il codice via SMS.

Tu: Mi scusi, può ripetere l’ultima frase?

Operatore: Certo: le ho inviato il codice via SMS.

Tu: Perfetto. Quindi devo inserirlo qui, giusto?

3) Learning slang with a friend

Amico/a: Dai, ci sta!

Tu: Aspetta—che significa ci sta?

Amico/a: Vuol dire “ok”, “va bene”, “ha senso”. Tipo: Stasera pizza? — Ci sta!

Tu: Ah, ci sta! Me fai un altro esempio?

One last habit that makes this easier

When you learn a new clarification phrase, practice it as a chunk (a full sentence) and swap only one piece:

  • Puoi ripetere, per favore? → Puoi ripetere l’ultima parola, per favore?
  • Hai detto “___”, giusto? → Hai detto “domani”, giusto?
  • Cosa vuol dire “___”? → Cosa vuol dire “mica”?

This turns “panic” into a routine—and keeps the conversation flowing.

Want to practice what you just learned?

Download Vurbit today to test yourself on these verbs and listen to the correct pronunciation.