Learn how to ask someone to repeat their name when you didn’t catch it
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Asking Someone to Repeat Their Name in English. Becky here. |
| John: Hi, I'm John. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask someone to repeat their name if you didn’t catch it. The conversation takes place at a trade fair. |
| John: It's between Linda and Paul Handerson. |
| Becky: The speakers are strangers, therefore, they will speak formal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda: Excuse me, I didn't catch your name. Could you repeat it more slowly? |
| Paul Handerson: Pau-l Ha-nder-son. |
| Linda: Paul Handerson. Thank you. So you work at Rainbow's? |
| Paul Handerson: Yes, that's right. |
| Linda: Did you say that you're the sales manager? |
| Paul Handerson: Exactly. |
| Becky: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly. |
| Linda: Excuse me, I didn't catch your name. Could you repeat it more slowly? |
| Paul Handerson: Pau-l Ha-nder-son. |
| Linda: Paul Handerson. Thank you. So you work at Rainbow's? |
| Paul Handerson: Yes, that's right. |
| Linda: Did you say that you're the sales manager? |
| Paul Handerson: Exactly. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: We just said that the conversation was formal. |
| John: Actually, formality in English isn't as strict and common as formality in some other languages. |
| Becky: Right, even in a business situation, you will often hear casual speech. |
| John: It’s best, however, to always start out as formally as possible and then become more casual when it’s appropriate to do so. |
| Becky: For example, in first meetings, always refer to everybody by their title such as “Mr.” or “Ms.,” and their surname, and continue to do so unless you're told to just use their surname or first name. |
| John: Another tip is to use full sentences, without dropping any words or any syllables when you speak. |
| Becky: Also, there are some phrases you can use to make your English sound more formal, for example "would you" instead of "will you." |
| John: For example you could invite your new client to dinner by saying, "Would you join us for dinner?" |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: to catch [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to reach and grasp |
| John: to catch [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to catch [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, we have... |
| John: to repeat [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to say again |
| John: to repeat [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to repeat [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Then, we have... |
| John: slowly [natural native speed] |
| Becky: with decreased speed |
| John: slowly [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: slowly [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next, there’s... |
| John: to work [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to function |
| John: to work [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: to work [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And lastly... |
| John: exactly [natural native speed] |
| Becky: perfectly, not more or less |
| John: exactly [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| John: exactly [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| John: exactly |
| Becky: This is an adverb, and it means that something is completely correct. |
| John: You can use it in any situation. For example, you can say "The meeting started exactly on time." |
| Becky: You can also use "exactly" to seek clarification in sentences such as "What do you mean exactly?" |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| John: sales manager |
| Becky: The first word "sales" refers to the act of selling things. The second word is "manager," and that means a person who is in charge of something or a group of people. |
| John: Together, they mean the person who is in charge of selling things. |
| Becky: You can use this phrase in any situation, but it's usually exclusively used in relation to business. |
| John: Here is a sample sentence - "They're looking for a sales manager." |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask someone to repeat their name when you didn’t catch it. After someone has introduced themselves, you might still not know their name. |
| John: Right, it can be difficult to catch someone’s name if it’s a name you haven’t heard before, or if they speak too quickly or too quietly, or if your surroundings are noisy. |
| Becky: In these cases, it’s fine to ask the other person to repeat their name. |
| John: First, it’s best to start with a polite apology, such as “I’m sorry,” “Excuse me,” or “Pardon me.” |
| Becky: Next, explain the problem. |
| John: You can say “I didn’t catch your name” or “it’s a little noisy, so I couldn’t hear your name.” |
| Becky: If you want, you can ask them to repeat their name, but often just explaining that you didn’t hear them is enough. |
| John: So all together you can say “Excuse me, I didn’t catch your name. Could you say it again, please?” |
| Becky: ...or you can just say “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” |
| John: Sometimes, the problem is that the other person is speaking too fast. In that case, you can ask them to speak slower. |
| Becky: We can use the phrase “Could you repeat it slowly, please?” with the phrases we just introduced. |
| John: For example “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Could you repeat it slowly, please?” |
| Becky: Another option, and also a shortcut, is saying “pardon me” or “excuse me?” This will immediately tell the listener that you didn't hear them or that you couldn't understand what was said. |
| John: Now, let’s see the last topic of this lesson, confirming and repeating information. |
| Becky: Understanding clients is extremely important and using verbal confirmation is a great way to make sure you and the client are understanding each other. |
| John: It's almost like repeating what the other person has said, but there are a few differences. |
| Becky: Right, when you can repeat or confirm what the client has said, you should restructure the phrase and put it in your own words. |
| John: For example, if the client says "We’re thinking of changing suppliers," you could reply with "Oh, so you might be looking for a new supplier." |
| Becky: Another good reason to confirm information is that it makes it easier to remember. |
| John: Right, some people say that when you meet a new person, you should repeat their name three times in your first conversation to help you remember their name. |
| Becky: Give it a try, but make it sound natural! |
| John: That might be difficult, since native English speakers rarely call each other by name. |
Outro |
| Becky: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| John: See you! |
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