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How to Say ‘Didn't quite understand’ in German

Nicht ganz verstanden

nicht gahnts fer-SHTAN-den

[nicht gahnts fer-SHTAN-den]

💬 Usage Tip: nicht ganz "not quite" softens the admission. It works with other verbs too: nicht ganz sicher "not quite sure".

Phrase Breakdown

Nicht

[nicht]

not

Used to negate a sentence.

Example

Dieses Angebot gibt's nicht mehr.

This offer no longer exists.

ganz

[gahnts]

completely / quite

Intensifier used to strengthen an adjective or statement.

Example

Das ist ganz normal bei vielen Patienten.

That is completely normal with many patients.

verstanden

[fer-SHTAN-den]

understood

Past participle of 'verstehen' (to understand), used with 'haben'.

Example

Hast du die Aufgabe verstanden?

Did you understand the task?

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