Are you tired of always using the same old phrase “I don’t understand” in English? This lesson gives you five more expressive phrases to use when you need to say you’re lost, baffled, or simply can’t wrap your head around something.
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Five Ways To Say You Don’t Understand
While you are learning below 5 expressions, try to practice one at a time and once you you feel confident, then move on to the next.
1- I (just) don’t get it!
Use “I don’t get it” or “I just don’t get it” when you’re struggling to grasp something factual or when you’re confused about the logic of a situation.
- So multiply this figure by 80, then divide by 4.
Eh? I don’t get it!
- They’re closing the library, but everyone uses it! I just don’t get it. Where are people supposed to go now?
2- It makes no sense to me!
Use this phrase when you want to say that something seems illogical to you.
- The instructions make no sense to me.
3- It’s a mystery to me!
You can say this when you think a situation is illogical – and especially if you think there’s a better way of doing something.
- It’s a mystery to me why she married him in the first place!
4- It’s completely beyond me!
You can say this in the same situation as you would say “It’s a mystery to me”. If something is “beyond” us it means it’s too much for our brains to understand.
- How she finds time to do everything is beyond me.
5- I can’t get my head around it!
If you say you can’t “get your head around” something, you’re basically saying it’s just too much to understand. It might be really complicated, or it just doesn’t make sense.
- I just can’t get my head around these tax forms.
Conclusion
From simply saying “I just don’t get it!” to “It’s completely beyond me,” these phrases will add variety to your English communication and as they say variety is the spice of life. So, next time you encounter something perplexing, ditch the basic “I don’t understand” and use these phrases to show off your fluency and confidence!
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