Understanding each other
Here are some essential phrases to improve your communication skills…
A mysterious conversation…
Jonathan: Mark's not coming tonight, he's Tom and Dick.
Melanie: I’m sorry? You’ve lost me there! Who are Tom and Dick?
Jonathan: Let me put it another way, Mark's a wee bit peely-wally. Are you with me?
Melanie: No, you might as well be speaking double Dutch. Can you full that past me one more time?
Jonathan: What I’m trying to say is that Mark's been diagnosed with the varicella virus.
Melanie: Now you’re blinding me with science! Can you say that again in plain English?
Jonathan: OK, at the risk of repeating myself, I’ll try to put it bluntly because I think you haven’t quite got my drift. I may as well come straight to the point, and to put it simply, Mark's got chickenpox!
Melanie: Ah! I see. So just to double-check, could you explain "Tom and Dick"?
Jonathan: It's Cockney rhyming slang for "sick".
Melanie: Right - I’m with you now! And what do you mean by "a wee bit peely-wally"?
Jonathan: Do I have to spell it out for you? It's Scots for "below par" or, in other words, "off colour", that is to say, he's ill.
Melanie: OK - it's crystal clear now. What you're saying would make perfect sense to a Scottish medical student living in the East End of London, right?
Jonathan: Now you’ve got it!
Conversation
Vocabulary and idioms
l'm sorry? ici, = comment?
you've lost me there = je ne vous suis plus
let me put it another way = essayons de le dire d'une autre façon
are you with me? = vous me suivez?
speak double Dutch = parler grec, baragouiner
can you run that past me one more time? = est-ce que tu peux m'expliquer ça encore une fois ?
what l'm trying to say is = ce que j'essaie de dire, c'est
blind somebody with science = éblouir quelqu'un avec sa science
can you say that again? = pourriez-vous répéter ce que vous venez de dire?
in plain English = sans jargon
at the risk of repeating myself = au risque de me répéter
to put it bluntly = pour parler franc
you haven't quite got my drift = vous ne voyez pas tout à fait ce que je veux dire
I may as well come straight to the point = autant que j'en vienne droit au fait
to put it simply = en deux mots
I see = je vois
double-check = revérifier
l'm with you now = maintenant je vous suis
what do you mean by...? = que voulez-vous dire par... ?
do I have to spell it out for you? = faut-il que je mette les points sur les i ?
in other words = autrement dit
that is to say = c'est-à-dire
it's crystal clear = c'est clair comme le jour
what you're saying = ce que vous dites
make perfect sense = avoir du bon sens
now you've got it = tu as tout compris
More communication idioms
do you see what I mean? = vous voyez ce que je veux dire?
how shall I put it? = comment dirais-je ?/comment dire?
I can't get my head round it (familier) = je n'arrive pas à comprendre ce concept
I don't quite know how to put it = je ne sais pas trop comment le dire
I take your point = je vois ce que vous voulez dire
I think I’ve got it pretty clear = ça me paraît tout à fait clair
in a manner of speaking = pour ainsi dire
it's a question of… = c'est une question de…
just to recap = en résumé
now let's get this clear = maintenant, que les choses soient bien claires
that's right! = c'est ça !
there it is in black and white = c'est écrit noir sur blanc
what is meant by...? = que veut dire... ?