Introduction
Learning how to ask someone to repeat themselves is essential for real conversations. This article teaches beginners how to say Can you say that again? in Brazilian Portuguese, explains useful variations, pronunciation tips, polite forms, and common mistakes to avoid so you can communicate confidently in everyday situations.
- Basic phrase: asking someone to repeat
- Polite and casual variations
- Alternative verbs and structures
- Short phrases for quick clarification
- Politeness and formal situations
- Useful vocabulary to pair with repetition
- Common mistakes beginners make
- Practice exercises for beginners
- Extra tips to improve listening
- Common phrases recap
- Conclusion
Basic phrase: asking someone to repeat
The simplest and most direct way to ask Can you say that again? in Brazilian Portuguese is Você pode repetir? This is polite, common, and works in most spoken and written situations.
Breakdown:
Você — you (informal, but standard in Brazil for most people)
pode — can (from the verb poder)
repetir — to repeat
How to pronounce Você pode repetir?
Pronunciation guide in approximate English sounds:
Você — voh-SEH
pode — POH-deh
repetir — heh-peh-CHEER (the r at the start of repetir is often pronounced like an h sound in Brazil, and the final r can sound like r or spoken softly)
Putting it together: voh-SEH POH-deh heh-peh-CHEER
Polite and casual variations
Brazilian Portuguese offers several ways to ask someone to repeat depending on formality and context. Use polite forms with people you do not know well, and casual forms with friends.
Você pode repetir, por favor? — Can you repeat, please? Adds por favor for politeness.
Você pode falar de novo? — Can you say that again? de novo literally means again; falar means to say/speak. This is casual and very common in conversation.
Como? — What? A very short informal way to ask someone to repeat what they said when you genuinely did not hear.
Perdão? / Desculpa? — Sorry? Both can be used to politely indicate you did not catch something; perdão is slightly more formal than desculpa.
Examples in context
At a coffee shop:
Barista: O pedido foi no nome Ana.
Customer: Você pode repetir?
In class:
Teacher: A lição está no quadro.
Student: Como?
On the phone:
Caller: Pode me passar o número novamente?
Receiver: Claro, é 11 99999-9999.
Caller: Você pode repetir, por favor?
Alternative verbs and structures
Beginners should learn a few verbs and structures that change tone or emphasis.
Falar — to speak; useful in Fala de novo? (informal) or Pode falar de novo?
Dizer — to say; used in O que você disse? meaning What did you say? Helpful when you missed the content rather than the sound.
Repetir — to repeat; the most literal and neutral verb for this purpose.
Examples:
Informal: Fala de novo, por favor?
Neutral: Você pode repetir?
Seeking clarification about content: O que você disse sobre o horário?
Short phrases for quick clarification
Short responses are common when listening to fast speech or in noisy places.
Como foi? — How was that? Another quick way to ask someone to repeat the last bit.
Repete? — Repeat? Very casual, often used between friends.
De novo? — Again? Short and informal.
Examples:
In a market: De novo? when you did not hear a price.
Among friends: Repete, não ouvi direito. meaning Repeat, I did not hear properly.
Politeness and formal situations
When speaking to elders, teachers, or in customer service, slightly more formal phrasing is better.
O senhor pode repetir? — Can you repeat, sir? Use O senhor for a male addressee in formal contexts.
A senhora pode repetir? — Can you repeat, ma’am? Use A senhora for a female addressee in formal contexts.
Polite full sentence: Você poderia repetir, por favor? The conditional poderia makes it more polite and softer.
Example at a bank counter:
Teller: A tarifa é de R$ 10,00.
Customer: Você poderia repetir, por favor?
Useful vocabulary to pair with repetition
Learning a few related words helps you ask for specifics when asking someone to repeat.
Devagar — slowly. Use when you want the speaker to slow down: Você pode falar mais devagar?
Mais alto — louder. Use when you need volume: Você pode falar mais alto?
Palavra — word. Use when you missed a specific word: Qual palavra foi?
Frase — sentence/phrase. Use to ask for the whole line: Pode repetir a frase?
Examples combining these words
When you need someone to speak slower and louder: Você pode falar mais devagar e mais alto, por favor?
Asking for one word again: Qual foi a palavra que você usou?
Requesting repetition of a specific sentence: Você pode repetir a frase sobre o horário?
Common mistakes beginners make
Mixing formal and informal forms
Using você in one sentence and then switching to o senhor without adjusting verb forms can sound odd. Stick to você for most everyday interactions in Brazil unless you intentionally use senhor/senhora.
Pronunciation errors
Beginners often pronounce the r at the beginning of repetir like the English r. In Brazilian Portuguese it often sounds like an h or a soft guttural sound: repetir → heh-peh-CHEER.
Omitting por favor
In polite contexts, forgetting por favor can make a request sound blunt. Add por favor for customer service, teachers, or older adults.
Practice exercises for beginners
Short role-play 1: At a bakery
Seller: Quer pão francês ou integral?
Student: Você pode repetir, por favor?
Short role-play 2: On a bus
Driver: A próxima parada é Avenida Paulista.
Passenger: Como? Não ouvi.
Listening exercise
Find a short Brazilian Portuguese audio clip (30–60 seconds) and listen once. Then use Você pode repetir? in the imagined conversation and replay the clip, focusing on the same phrase each time.
Extra tips to improve listening
Train with Brazilian podcasts or simple videos with subtitles. Pause after a sentence and ask yourself how you would say Can you say that again? in that moment.
Shadowing: Listen to a short sentence and immediately repeat it out loud. Use repete mentally before speaking to cue repetition practice.
Use polite variations in real life: adding por favor and poderia can make requests smoother and more natural.
Common phrases recap
Você pode repetir? — Neutral, safe for most situations.
Você pode repetir, por favor? — Adds politeness.
Você poderia repetir, por favor? — More formal/polite.
Fala de novo? — Casual.
Como? — Very short, informal
Conclusion
Mastering how to ask Can you say that again? in Brazilian Portuguese helps you in shops, classrooms, public transport, and casual chats. Start with Você pode repetir? and add polite phrases like por favor or poderia when needed. Practice variations, listen for the Brazilian r sounds, and try short role-plays to build confidence.
