Meeting phrases · Spanish
How to say “Can you repeat that?” in Spanish — and 20 other meeting phrases
Updated September 17, 2026
In a work call, say ¿Podría repetirlo, por favor?. With a colleague on casual terms, ¿Puedes repetirlo? is enough. Below are 20 more phrases for the moments video calls go wrong — each with its level of politeness.
¿Podría repetirlo, por favor?
Formal Uses usted. Safe with clients, managers and anyone you have just met.
¿Puedes repetirlo?
Casual Uses tú. For colleagues who already speak to you informally.
Formal or casual?
Spanish has two ways to say “you”: tú (informal) and usted (formal). ¿Podría…? — “could you…?” — goes with usted and is the safe default in a work call until someone switches to tú. Many teams switch quickly; follow their lead.
On calls, Latin Americans very often say escuchar (No te escucho, ¿Me escuchan?); in Spain oír is more usual (No te oigo, ¿Me oís?). Both are correct and understood everywhere.
When you did not hear it
Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
A sentence was lost to noise or crosstalk.
Perdón, no escuché bien.
Neutral In Spain you will also hear “Perdón, no te he oído bien”.
Could you repeat the last part?
You heard the start and lost the end.
¿Podría repetir la última parte?
Formal
Could you speak a little louder?
The speaker is far from their microphone.
¿Podría hablar un poco más alto?
Formal
Could you speak more slowly, please?
The point is important and it came too fast.
¿Podría hablar más despacio, por favor?
Formal
When you heard it but did not understand
I don’t understand.
Say it early rather than nodding along.
No entiendo. / Perdón, no entendí.
Neutral Spain tends to say “No lo he entendido”.
What does ___ mean?
An acronym, a product name or in-house jargon.
¿Qué significa ___?
Neutral
Could you explain that another way?
A repeat in the same words would not help.
¿Podría explicarlo de otra manera?
Formal
So you mean that ___?
Check a decision back before you act on it.
Entonces, ¿quiere decir que ___?
Formal
When the connection is the problem
I can’t hear you.
The speaker’s sound is gone.
No se oye nada.
Neutral To one person, casually: “No te escucho”.
Can you hear me?
Right after you join or unmute.
¿Me escuchan?
Neutral To the whole group. In Spain: “¿Se me oye?”.
Your audio is breaking up.
Words drop out of the middle of sentences.
Se corta la conexión.
Neutral Casual, to one person: “Se te corta un poco”.
I think you’re on mute.
Lips move, no sound.
Creo que tiene el micrófono silenciado.
Formal
Sorry, my connection dropped.
You rejoin after being cut off.
Perdón, se me cortó la conexión.
Neutral Spain often: “se me ha cortado”.
Can you see my screen?
You start sharing.
¿Se ve mi pantalla?
Neutral Works in every region.
Names, spelling and the chat
Sorry, could you tell me your name again?
Introductions went by too quickly.
Perdone, ¿me puede repetir su nombre?
Formal
How do you spell (write) that?
A name, an address or a term you will need later.
¿Cómo se escribe?
Neutral
Could you write it in the chat?
Numbers, links and names are safer in writing.
¿Podría escribirlo en el chat?
Formal
Keeping the meeting moving
One moment, please.
You need a second to find something.
Un momento, por favor.
Neutral
Sorry to interrupt.
You need to step in before the topic moves on.
Perdón por interrumpir.
Neutral
Got it, thank you.
Close the loop after they repeat.
Entendido, gracias.
Neutral
Short replies to be careful with
- ¿Qué? — On its own it sounds blunt, like a bare “What?” in English.
- ¿Cómo? — Not rude — it is the everyday short “Sorry?”. Add “perdón” with clients.
One call, start to finish
The same phrases in the order a real meeting tends to need them.
-
1. The speaker’s audio cuts out in the middle of a sentence.
Se corta la conexión.
¿Podría repetirlo, por favor?
-
2. The next point comes too fast to follow.
¿Podría hablar más despacio, por favor?
-
3. A new participant introduces themselves and you miss the name.
Perdone, ¿me puede repetir su nombre?
¿Cómo se escribe?
-
4. They read out a number you need to get exactly right.
¿Podría escribirlo en el chat?
Entendido, gracias.
If the whole meeting is in Spanish
Phrases get you through a few missed sentences. When the entire call is in Spanish and you follow it at half speed, reading helps more than asking again. Trippi is a browser extension for Chrome and Edge that shows live captions of what is said in Spanish, with a translation into English under each line, in Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams in the browser. No bot joins the call, and it is free to start.
What it does not do: it does not work in the desktop Zoom or Teams apps, and automatic captions still miss rare names and jargon — which is exactly when the phrases above come in. More about calls between English and Spanish: English ↔ Spanish meeting translation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most polite way to say “Can you repeat that?” in Spanish?+
¿Podría repetirlo, por favor? — Uses usted. Safe with clients, managers and anyone you have just met. With colleagues: ¿Puedes repetirlo?.
How do you say “Can you speak slower?” in Spanish?+
¿Podría hablar más despacio, por favor? It is formal and fits a work call.
How do you say “I don’t understand” in Spanish?+
No entiendo. / Perdón, no entendí. Spain tends to say “No lo he entendido”.
Is “¿Qué?” rude in Spanish?+
On its own it sounds blunt, like a bare “What?” in English.
What if I still don’t understand after they repeat it in Spanish?+
Ask for a different explanation — ¿Podría explicarlo de otra manera? — or ask them to put it in the chat: ¿Podría escribirlo en el chat?