When you don't understand, speak up! And don't feel bad for doing so.

Below are some phrases to help you. Remember being as specific as possible will lead to the best outcome. You can also download a PDF of the phrases here. 

​Checking you have understood:
“Just to check I‘ve understood, you said XXXX.”

Asking to slow down:
“Please could you slow down a bit. I didn’t catch everything.”    

Asking for repetition of one-word:   
“I didn’t catch that last word/a word in the middle of the sentence. Can you say it again?”
“I didn’t catch the date. Please could you repeat it”
“I didn’t catch the figure. Did you say 80,000?”

Asking for word explanation:
“There was a word I didn’t understand 'XXXXXXX'. What does it mean?”

Asking for repetition of whole sentence/paragraph:
“I didn’t understand exactly. Please could you repeat it.”
“I am not sure I got that. Could you talk me through that again?”
 
If the speaker is using language too complicated for you, ask for rephrasing:
“There are one or two words you used that I’m not familiar with. Please could you rephrase it.”
“(It’s a complicated topic and it’s harder for me in English.)  Please could you please explain it to me more slowly and in simpler language?”