Have you ever been in this situation? Your friend or partner is talking for a long time about a topic you’re not interested in. Your mind starts to wander. Suddenly, you realize they have stopped speaking and are waiting for a response from you. You try as hard as possible to remember what they were saying, but you have no idea. Feeling embarrassed, you have to say “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you run that by me again?”
Watch the video below where Dara shares more examples of how to use this great idiom.
Transcript
So, run that by me again? No, I don’t get it!
Don’t worry. Run that by me again just means tell me that again.
Let’s see how we can use this phrase naturally:
- I’m afraid I don’t understand. Could you run that by me again?
- Sorry, run that by me again, would you? I wasn’t paying close enough attention.
- OK, I think I understand, but would you mind running that by me again, just to make sure?
So, there we are. And if you need me to run that by you again, just watch the video again!
Practice
You can use this expression in many everyday situations. Try to make your own examples. Check out the ideas below to get you started!
- You meet someone who mumbles when they speak. What could you say?
- A scientist friend tells you about his latest project, but you find it difficult to understand. How would you respond?
- You offer to go shopping for a sick friend and she calls out a long shopping list. You grab a pen and say….?
Share your ideas in the comments section below.
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