Learn how to say "I don't understand"
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| “I Don't Understand” in Mexican Spanish |
| In this lesson we shall see a very useful phrase meaning “I don’t understand.” It is useful, of course, because many times you won’t immediately pick up on what people are saying. |
| In Spanish, “I don’t understand” is No entiendo. |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) No en-ti-en-do. |
| Once more: |
| No entiendo. |
| The first word no means “no” |
| (slow) No. |
| No. |
| Next we have entiendo, a conjugated form of the verb “to understand,” meaning “I understand.” |
| (slow) En-ti-en-do. |
| Entiendo. |
| Once again, it is - No entiendo. |
| The low level of Spanish knowledge may be one of the reasons for not understanding. In this case, say |
| No entiendo español. This expression is translated in English as “I don’t understand Spanish” |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) No en-ti-en-do es-pa-ñol. |
| No entiendo español. |
| The only new word here is “español”, which means “Spanish” |
| (slow) Es-pa-ñol. |
| Español. |
| Another way to tell them that you don't understand their language is - “I don’t speak Spanish”, No hablo español. |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) No ha-blo es-pa-ñol. |
| Once again: |
| No hablo español. |
| We are already familiar with the first word, no. |
| This is followed by hablo, which is a form of the verb “to speak,” meaning “I speak” |
| (slow) Ha-blo. |
| Hablo. |
| Next we have español, the word for “Spanish”. |
| Here’s the whole sentence: |
| (slow) No ha-blo es-pa-ñol. |
| No hablo español. |
| To close out today's lessons, we’d like you to practice what you have just learned. I’ll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you’re responsible for shouting it out loud. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so !buena suerte! which means “Good luck!” in Spanish. |
| “I don’t understand.” |
| (3 sec) No entiendo. |
| (slow) No en-ti-en-do. |
| No entiendo. |
| “I don’t understand Spanish” |
| (3 sec) No entiendo español. |
| (slow) No en-ti-en-do es-pa-ñol. |
| No entiendo español. |
| “I don’t speak Spanish” |
| (3 sec) No hablo español. |
| (slow) No ha-blo es-pa-ñol. |
| No hablo español. |
| Alright! That's going to do it for this lesson. Hasta luego. |
Comments
HideWhat didn't you understand when you went to Mexico or to a Mexican restaurant?
Hola Gloria,
Que bueno Gloria!
Estamos contentos de saber que te hemos podido ayudar en todo este nueva aventura de aprender español.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Cuando me mudé a San Felipe, México, era difícil entender español. Pero con SpanishPod101, lo entiendo cada vez más.
When I moved to San Felipe, Mexico, it was difficult to understand Spanish. But with SpanishPod101, I understand it more and more.