When to use it
Use it when someone explained something too quickly. Adding "s'il vous plaît" makes it more polite.
The sentence in English — “I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?”
"I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?" has two parts. The first is a negative in the past with "didn't", so "understand" stays in its base form. The second is a request with "can you".
- I
- pronounpersonal pronoun, always written with a capital letter
- didn't
- contractiondo · tense: past · contraction of "did not"; makes the negative in the past
- understand
- verbunderstand · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "didn't" the verb stays in its base form
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- instructions
- nounplural noun
- can
- auxiliary verbcan · tense: present · modal verb of ability or permission
- you
- pronounpersonal pronoun
- repeat
- verbrepeat · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · main verb after "can"
The sentence in French — “Je n'ai pas compris les instructions, pouvez-vous répéter ?”
"Je n'ai pas compris les instructions" uses the passé composé: the auxiliary "ai" plus "compris". The negation "ne… pas" wraps around the auxiliary. "Pouvez-vous répéter ?" inverts "vous" and the verb to make a polite question.
- Je
- pronounpersonal pronoun: "I"
- n'
- contractionfirst part of the negation "ne… pas"
- ai
- auxiliary verbavoir · tense: present · mood: indicative · person: first · number: singular · auxiliary "have"; with "compris" it forms the passé composé
- pas
- particlesecond part of the negation "ne… pas": "not"
- compris
- verbcomprendre · form: past participle · "understood"
- les
- determinerdefinite article, plural: "the"
- instructions
- nounfeminine plural noun: "instructions"
- pouvez-vous
- verbpouvoir · tense: present · mood: indicative · person: second · number: plural (polite) · "can you" with the polite "vous", verb and pronoun inverted
- répéter
- verbrépéter · form: infinitive · "to repeat"
English × French — What changes from one language to the other
English makes the negative past with "didn't" + base verb; French uses "ne… pas" around the auxiliary "avoir". English asks with "can you"; French inverts to "pouvez-vous", using the polite "vous".
Example conversation
— Je n'ai pas compris les instructions, pouvez-vous répéter ?
— I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?
— Bien sûr, je vais parler plus lentement.
— Of course, I'll speak more slowly.