25 個職場英文釐清誤會的說法
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職場上一點小小的誤會，就可能改變一個期限、一個價格，或一項任務的負責人。這 25 個說法能幫助你停下來、確認、修正對話，又不會顯得無禮。
快速一覽：25 個釐清誤會的說法
| # | 說法 | 最適用於 | 語氣 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sorry, I didn't catch that. | 沒聽清楚某句話 | 中性 |
| 2 | Could you say that again, please? | 請對方完整重複 | 有禮 |
| 3 | Could you speak a little more slowly? | 對方語速太快 | 有禮 |
| 4 | Would you mind repeating the last part? | 漏掉某個細節 | 有禮 |
| 5 | Could you spell that for me? | 名字或專業術語 | 有禮 |
| 6 | What do you mean by ...? | 意思不明的字詞或想法 | 直接、中性 |
| 7 | Could you clarify what you mean by ...? | 較正式的說明 | 有禮、正式 |
| 8 | When you say X, do you mean Y? | 確認某一種理解 | 中性 |
| 9 | Could you give me an example? | 把抽象的說法具體化 | 有禮 |
| 10 | Could you walk me through that part? | 流程或步驟順序 | 協作 |
| 11 | If I understand correctly, ... | 重述重點 | 中性 |
| 12 | So, what you're saying is ... | 在對話中換句話說 | 中性 |
| 13 | Let me make sure I've got this right. | 確認多項細節 | 中性 |
| 14 | Just to confirm, ... | 日期、數字或決定 | 專業 |
| 15 | Am I right in thinking that ...? | 確認某個假設 | 有禮 |
| 16 | I may not have explained that clearly. | 承擔責任 | 圓融委婉 |
| 17 | Sorry, that's not quite what I meant. | 糾正對方的理解 | 有禮 |
| 18 | I think there may have been a misunderstanding. | 委婉指出雙方認知不同 | 圓融委婉 |
| 19 | Let me rephrase that. | 換個更清楚的說法 | 中性 |
| 20 | To clarify, ... | 說出原本想表達的意思 | 專業 |
| 21 | Could you confirm whether ...? | 要求以書面回覆 | 正式 |
| 22 | Could you clarify which ...? | 在多個選項中做選擇 | 正式 |
| 23 | My understanding is that ... | 留下你的理解紀錄 | 專業 |
| 24 | For clarity, could we confirm ...? | 達成共識 | 協作 |
| 25 | I'll summarize the next steps to make sure we're aligned. | 為會議或電子郵件收尾 | 專業 |
劍橋文法指出，英文的請求通常會用 could 這類形式，以有禮且間接的方式表達。這正是為什麼在職場上，Could you explain that again? 通常比 Explain that again. 這種直接的命令句更恰當。
請對方重複或說慢一點
當問題出在聽不清楚、語速、發音，或是不熟悉的名字時，就可以用這些說法。你不需要假裝自己聽懂了。
1. Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
當你漏聽了一個字或一句簡短的話時，用這句自然的說法。它把重點放在你聽到的內容，而不是對方說話的方式。
例句： Sorry, I didn't catch that. Did you say the client meeting is on Thursday?
2. Could you say that again, please?
當有好幾項細節都沒聽清楚時，請對方完整重複一次。
例句： Could you say that again, please? The audio cut out for a few seconds.
3. Could you speak a little more slowly?
這句在通話中、簡報時，或以第二語言說話時都很好用。A little 能讓請求聽起來更委婉。
例句： Could you speak a little more slowly? I want to write down the figures correctly.
4. Would you mind repeating the last part?
當你聽懂了大部分內容，卻漏掉最後一個細節時，就用這句。
例句： Would you mind repeating the last part? I heard the deadline, but not the file format.
5. Could you spell that for me?
遇到名字、電子郵件地址、產品編號，以及差一個字母就差很多的專業術語時，可以這樣問。
例句： Could you spell the supplier's name for me? I want to enter it correctly in the contract.
若想看更多日常聽力與確認的表達方式，請參考100 句日常英語對話。
確認對方的意思
每個字都聽清楚，不代表你就理解了整體的意思。這些說法能請對方定義、限縮或舉例說明他的意思。
6. What do you mean by …?
當某個字或說法很模糊時，可以對你熟悉的同事這樣問。把你希望對方解釋的確切字詞補在後面。
例句： What do you mean by "final review"? Do you want comments, approval, or both?
7. Could you clarify what you mean by …?
這是比較正式的說法。劍橋詞典將 clarify 定義為：透過補充細節或提供更簡單的說明，讓某件事更容易理解。
例句： Could you clarify what you mean by "urgent"? Do you need the report today or this week?
8. When you say X, do you mean Y?
提出你最好的理解，讓對方能快速確認或修正。
例句： When you say "launch," do you mean the internal release or the public announcement?
9. Could you give me an example?
當某個目標、問題或回饋太抽象時，請對方舉個例子。
例句： Could you give me an example of a section that sounds too technical?
10. Could you walk me through that part?
遇到包含好幾個步驟的流程時，就用這句。它請對方按照順序說明，而不只是重複一次。
例句： Could you walk me through the approval step? I'm not sure who signs the request after Finance.
確認自己的理解
當對話中牽涉到日期、金錢、職責或多項決定時，重述一遍訊息特別有用。
11. If I understand correctly, …
用這句話開頭，接著簡短摘要重點。
例句： If I understand correctly, we can change the copy after legal review, but not the pricing.
12. So, what you’re saying is …
在對話中用這句換句話說，重述對方的結論。語氣要保持好奇，而不是像在爭辯。
例句： So, what you're saying is that the delay affects Europe, but not the US launch.
13. Let me make sure I’ve got this right.
這句能讓聽者準備好，接下來要聽一段包含兩項以上細節的較長摘要。
例句： Let me make sure I've got this right. I update the forecast today, and you send it to the client tomorrow morning.
14. Just to confirm, …
在說出日期、時間、數字、負責人或已議定的行動之前，用這句開頭。口說和電子郵件都適用。
例句： Just to confirm, the revised budget is $42,000, not $40,000.
15. Am I right in thinking that …?
這句能在你採取行動之前，有禮地確認某個假設。
例句： Am I right in thinking that we need the director's approval before we contact the vendor?
有禮地糾正誤會
避免用 You're wrong 或 You misunderstood me. 開頭。修正訊息的同時，也留給雙方保住面子的空間。
16. I may not have explained that clearly.
當你的用字可能造成了混淆時，用這句。承擔一部分責任能降低緊張氣氛。
例句： I may not have explained that clearly. The draft is due Friday; the final version is due next Tuesday.
17. Sorry, that’s not quite what I meant.
這句能溫和地攔下錯誤的理解，再換成你原本想表達的意思。
例句： Sorry, that's not quite what I meant. We need fewer slides, not less detail in the analysis.
18. I think there may have been a misunderstanding.
當兩個人對同一項協議的記憶不同時，用這句。May have been 能避免責怪任何一方。
例句： I think there may have been a misunderstanding. My notes show that delivery was scheduled for May 18, not May 8.
19. Let me rephrase that.
在換成更簡單或更具體的字詞、重新解釋同一個想法之前，先說這句。
例句： Let me rephrase that. We are not cancelling the project; we are delaying the second phase.
20. To clarify, …
當你需要直接說出正確的意思時，用這個簡潔的轉折語。
例句： To clarify, everyone may view the document, but only team leads may edit it.
釐清有時需要表達異議或劃清界線。這些英文裡禮貌說不的方式能幫助你表達清楚，又不會顯得敷衍打發。
在電子郵件和會議中釐清
普渡大學 OWL 建議，專業電子郵件應具備清楚、簡短的段落，並直接且有明確目的。這些說法能讓問題和需要回覆的內容一目了然。
21. Could you confirm whether …?
當答案只有「是／否」或兩種可能之一時，用 whether。
例句： Could you confirm whether the quoted price includes shipping?
22. Could you clarify which …?
當可能的人、檔案、日期或選項有好幾個時，就用這句。
例句： Could you clarify which version the client approved: v3 or v4?
23. My understanding is that …
說出你目前的理解，再請對方更正。這也能留下一份有用的書面紀錄。
例句： My understanding is that Marketing owns the landing page and Product owns the in-app message. Please correct me if that has changed.
24. For clarity, could we confirm …?
在會議中，當團隊需要先確定一項明確的決定才能繼續時，用這句。
例句： For clarity, could we confirm who will send the customer update and by what time?
25. I’ll summarize the next steps to make sure we’re aligned.
用說出每一項行動、負責人和期限的方式，為討論收尾。不要讓大家只憑記憶。
例句： I'll summarize the next steps to make sure we're aligned: Nina will revise the copy by Wednesday, and Omar will review it on Thursday.
若需要完整的主旨、結構與結尾範例，請參考這篇撰寫專業電子郵件的指南。
應避免的常見錯誤
| 避免這樣說 | 原因 | 改用這句 |
|---|---|---|
What? | 可能顯得沒耐性或帶有對抗意味 | Sorry, I didn't catch that. |
Speak slower. | 在大多數職場情境中，命令句聽起來太直接 | Could you speak a little more slowly? |
That makes no sense. | 批評的是說話的人，而不是指出哪裡有落差 | Could you give me an example? |
You misunderstood me. | 把錯全歸咎於聽話的一方 | Sorry, that's not quite what I meant. |
Confirm ASAP. | 期限模糊，語氣也很唐突 | Could you confirm by 3 p.m. today? |
有禮的用語不該讓問題變得模糊。要把你需要釐清的確切字詞、數字、選項或期限說出來。對於影響重大的細節，採用三個步驟：hear it, restate it, record it（聽清楚、重述、記錄下來）。先問出缺少的資訊，複述你的理解，再把雙方講好的負責人和期限寫下來。
如果對話跨越不同語言，OpenL 可以幫你翻譯訊息，同時協助你維持專業的語氣。
Sources
- Cambridge Dictionary: Clarify — definition and workplace-style examples of asking for clarification.
- Cambridge Dictionary: Requests — explains polite and indirect request forms using
can,could,would you mind, andmay. - Cambridge Dictionary: Politeness — explains how softening language makes English requests less direct or forceful.
- Purdue OWL: Email Etiquette — guidance on clear, concise, and professional email communication.
