Asking for Clarification

• Could you clarify that?
• What do you mean (by that)?
• What are you trying to say?
• What was that again?

Clarifying your own ideas

• In other words, …
• What I mean is . . .
• What I'm trying to say is . . .
• What I wanted to say was . . .
• To clarify, …

Clarifying another's ideas

• You mean . . .
• What you mean is . . .
• What you're saying is . . .
• (I think) what she means is . . .
• What he's trying to say is . . .
• If I understand you, (you're saying that . . . )
• If I'm hearing you correctly, …
• So, you think (that) . . .
• So, your idea is …