Lesson #2: すみませんが、もう一度言っていただけますか (Sumimasen ga, moo ichido itte itadakemasu ka)

Asking Someone Politely to Repeat Something

English Title: Would you please repeat that?

🎧 Audio:
Listen to this lesson

Role-play Setup

You work at a media company writing articles about restaurants. Your coworker informs you that a curry restaurant in Shibuya postponed its opening. Your supervisor uses many katakana (loanword) terms like “リスケ” (reschedule), “マター” (matter/person in charge), which you don’t fully understand. You need to ask for clarification politely.

Full Script & Explanation

Scene 1: News About the Restaurant

Coworker (同僚):
渋谷のカレー屋さんから電話がありました。
Shibuya no karee-ya-san kara denwa ga arimashita.
That Shibuya curry place called.

Supervisor (上司):
来週開店する渋谷のカレー屋さんか。
Raishuu kaiten-suru Shibuya no karee-ya-san ka.
The one that’s opening next week?

Explanation: This is an abbreviated spoken form of「来週開店する渋谷のカレー屋さんのことですか」→ Do you mean the one that’s opening next week? This expression would be appropriate for use among equals, or from superiors to subordinates.

Coworker:
はい、開店が来月になったそうです。
Hai, kaiten ga raigetsu ni natta soo desu.
Yes. Seems like the opening has been pushed back to next month.

Explanation: The expression「～そうです」is used to relay information that one has been told. This sentence explains the fact that the opening has been pushed back to next month. Rather than「開店は来月だそうです」, use「なった」to create「来月になったそうです」. This shows that the opening date went from being undecided to decided, or that the decided opening date changed.

Scene 2: Discussing the Schedule

Supervisor:
それなら記事のアップもリスケだね。
Sore nara kiji no appu mo risuke da ne.
We must reschedule uploading the article, then.

Explanation:「アップ」means upload.「リスケ」means reschedule.

Supervisor:
リライトを合わせると、少しバッファーがいるね。
Riraito o awaseru to, sukoshi baffaa ga iru ne.
With the rewrite, we’ll need some buffer time, too.

Explanation:「リライト」means rewrite.「バッファー」means buffer. Depending on one’s place of work, katakana words can be very common. In particular, IT companies and consulting firms use a lot of katakana words. However, using words like this too much can make sentences difficult to understand, so it’s best not to overuse them.

Supervisor:
ちょっといいかな。
Chotto ii ka na.
Do you have a minute?

Explanation: This expression is used by superiors to subordinates. For subordinates talking to superiors, the following are appropriate:「すみませんが、今少しよろしいでしょうか」,「今、お時間ありますか」. The superior will say something like:「いいですよ」,「はい、何でしょうか」. Now you can proceed with what you want to say.

Supervisor:
この件は誰マターかな。
Kono ken wa dare-mataa ka na.
Who’s in charge of this job?

Explanation: This phrase uses the English word “matter” to ask who is in charge of a task.

🔑 KEY PHRASE

Student:
すみませんが、もう一度言っていただけますか。
Sumimasen ga, moo ichido itte itadakemasu ka.
Would you please repeat that?

Explanation:
Use this phrase when you didn’t catch what the other person said. It’s a polite way to ask someone to repeat.

There are often times where you can’t quite understand what another person is saying.

When you want the other person to repeat everything they just said:
「もう一度言っていただけますか」「もう一度お願いします」

When you need clarification about the meaning of one part:
「～は、どういう意味ですか」「～は何ですか」

When you need to check just one syllable, use the Japanese syllabary:
For example, when you can’t tell if the other person said “Ishida-san” or “Hishida-san,” ask:
「あいうえお、の『い』しださんですか」、あるいは「はひふへほの『ひ』しださんですか」
This is to check if it is Ishida-san, like the “i” in “a, i, u, e, o,” or Hishida-san, like the “hi” in “ha, hi, fu, he, ho?”

Alternatively, you can ask using words you already know:
「『いえ』の『い』ですか」”I” like in “ie?”

Clarification

Student:
すみません。
Sumimasen.
I’m sorry.

Explanation:「すみません」is used in a variety of situations. In this case, this phrase is an apology for not catching what the other person said. It’s also being used as a way to get the listener’s attention.

Student:
「誰マター」とはどのような意味でしょうか。
“Dare-mataa” to wa dono yoo na imi deshoo ka.
What does “dare-mataa” mean?

Explanation: Phrases like「どのような」and「どんな」allow you to make questions more polite than just「『誰マター』とはなんですか？」or「『誰マター』とは何でしょうか？」. When asking for clarification, it’s helpful to repeat what the other person said. This lets the other person know which parts you understood, and which parts you didn’t understand. It helps them to avoid needlessly repeating themselves.

Supervisor:
誰が担当するか、ってことだよ。
Dare ga tantoo-suru ka, tte koto da yo.
It means, “Who’s in charge?”

Explanation:「～ってことだよ」is a casual form of「～ということですよ」.

Student:
それはカイルさんです。
Sore wa Kairu-san desu.
That would be Kyle.

Supervisor:
わかった、私からカイルさんに言っておくよ。
Wakatta, watashi kara Kairu-san ni itte oku yo.
Got it. I will let Kyle know.

Explanation:「言っておくよ」is a casual form of「言っておきます」. Between people who are close, the phrase can be changed to「言っとくよ」. You use「とく -toku」instead of「ておく -te oku」:「伝えておく」→「伝えとく」(tell),「話しておく」→「話しとく」(talk).

Student:
わかりました。
Wakarimashita.
Understood.

Vocabulary

記事 (kiji) - article
Example: 記事を書きます。(I’ll write an article.)

アップ (appu) - upload
Example: データをアップします。(I’ll upload the data.)

リスケ (risuke) - reschedule
Example: 会議をリスケします。(I’ll reschedule the meeting.)

リライト (riraito) - rewrite
Example: 原稿をリライトします。(I’ll rewrite the manuscript.)

バッファー (baffaa) - buffer (time)
Example: 少しバッファーが必要です。(We need a little buffer time.)

担当 (tantoo) - in charge, responsible
Example: この仕事は誰が担当しますか。(Who’s in charge of this work?)

開店 (kaiten) - opening (of a store)
Example: 来月開店します。(It will open next month.)

言う (iu) - to say, to tell
Example: もう一度言ってください。(Please say it again.)

Cultural Notes

Katakana Business Jargon

Many Japanese workplaces, especially IT companies and consulting firms, use extensive katakana loanwords. These words are often shortened versions of English terms:

Common examples:

Japanese + English hybrids:

Even some Japanese people may not know the meaning of these terms at first! When you aren’t certain of the meaning, be sure to ask for clarification. It’s better to ask than to misunderstand an important task.

Asking for Clarification is Encouraged

In Japanese business culture, asking for clarification is not seen as weakness - it’s professional. Better to confirm understanding than to make mistakes. Use polite phrases like:

Grammar Points

Pattern 1: ～そうです (Hearsay)

Pattern: [plain form] + そうです

Used to relay information that you heard from someone else.

Examples:

Pattern 2: ～ていただけますか (Polite Request)

Pattern: [verb te-form] + いただけますか

Very polite way to ask someone to do something.

Examples:

Politeness levels:

  1. 言って (Say it - casual)
  2. 言ってください (Please say it - polite)
  3. 言ってくれませんか (Won’t you say it? - polite)
  4. 言っていただけませんか (Would you please say it? - very polite)

Pattern 3: ～ておく (Doing in Advance)

Pattern: [verb te-form] + おく

Indicates doing something in advance or for later.

Examples:

Casual contraction: ～とく

Tips from this Dialogue

Using「すみません」Strategically

「すみません」serves multiple purposes:

  1. Apologizing for not understanding
  2. Getting someone’s attention
  3. Showing humility before asking a question

This multi-purpose nature makes it essential in polite communication.

Repeating What You Heard

When asking for clarification, repeat the word or phrase you didn’t understand: 「『誰マター』とはどのような意味でしょうか」

This helps the other person know:

Checking Single Syllables

When confirming names or unclear syllables, use the Japanese syllabary system:

Keego (Polite Language)

Asking “Do You Have Time?”

From casual to formal:

  1. ちょっといい？(Very casual - to friends)
  2. ちょっといいかな (Casual - superior to subordinate)
  3. ちょっといいですか (Polite - among equals)
  4. 今少しよろしいでしょうか (Formal - to superiors)
  5. 今、お時間ありますか (Polite - to superiors)

Saying “I Understand”

From casual to formal:

  1. わかった (Casual)
  2. わかりました (Polite)
  3. 承知しました (Formal)
  4. 承知いたしました (Very formal)
  5. かしこまりました (Very formal - to customers)

Kanji

言 - say, word
Reading: い (i), こと (koto), ゲン (gen)
Example: 言語 (gengo - language), 発言 (hatsugen - comment), 言っていただけますか (itte itadakemasu ka - would you please say)

Words from this Dialogue

誰マター (dare-mataa) - who’s in charge?

Japanese often borrows words from foreign languages, often with little consideration for the original pronunciation or spelling. This can be a challenge for Japanese language learners.

In this case, Japanese「誰」(who) is mixed with English「マター」(matter) to create a new word. Words like this may be used only by certain groups or people in certain industries. Even some Japanese people may not know the meaning at first!

When you aren’t certain of the meaning, be sure to ask for clarification.

Other shortened katakana examples:

Source: Based on NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson #2
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit02.html