How to Say ‘Can you explain it again, please?’ in German
Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?
kahnst doo ess BIT-tuh nokh INE-mahl air-KLEH-ren
[kahnst doo ess BIT-tuh nokh INE-mahl air-KLEH-ren]
🇩🇪 In Germany: With a coworker, [Kannst du ...?] is natural if you already use [du] at work. If your workplace is more formal, switch to [Können Sie ...?] instead.
Phrase Breakdown
Kannst du
kahnst doo
Can you
Used to ask whether someone is able or willing to do something.
Kannst du mir helfen?
Can you help me?
Words in this phrase
Kannst
[kahnst]
can
Second-person singular form of 'können,' used in a polite informal request.
Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären? Das hilft mir sehr.
Can you explain it again, please? That helps me a lot.
du
[doo]
you
Informal singular 'you,' addressing one person directly.
Ich frage du in der Form 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?'
I ask 'you' in the form 'Can you explain it again, please?'
Es bitte
ess BIT-tuh
it, please
Refers to the thing being discussed; bitte makes the request polite.
Kannst du es bitte sagen?
Can you please say it?
Words in this phrase
es
[ess]
it
Refers to what needs to be explained again.
Mit es in 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?' meine ich den Auftrag.
With 'it' in 'Can you explain it again, please?' I mean the assignment.
bitte
[BIT-tuh]
please
Makes the request more polite and friendly.
Das Wort bitte in 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?' klingt höflich.
The word 'please' in 'Can you explain it again, please?' sounds polite.
Noch einmal
nokh INE-mahl
once again
Means something should be repeated one more time.
Bitte erklär es noch einmal.
Please explain it once again.
Words in this phrase
noch
[nokh]
again / still
Here it means 'again' as part of 'noch einmal.'
Das Wort noch in 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?' zeigt eine Wiederholung.
The word 'again' in 'Can you explain it again, please?' shows repetition.
einmal
[INE-mahl]
once / one more time
Completes the phrase 'noch einmal,' meaning 'one more time.'
Mit einmal in 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?' bitte ich um Wiederholung.
With 'one more time' in 'Can you explain it again, please?' I ask for repetition.
erklären
[air-KLEH-ren]
to explain
The infinitive verb used at the end of the sentence in this modal-verb structure.
Das Verb erklären in 'Kannst du es bitte noch einmal erklären?' steht am Satzende.
The verb 'to explain' in 'Can you explain it again, please?' is at the end of the sentence.
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