Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ¿cómo? | ||
| ¿qué cosa? | /ˈke ˈkosa/ (word by word) | |
| ¿que qué? | /ke ˈke/ (word by word) | |
| ¿mande? | Mexico | |
| ¿ah? | Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, colloquial | |
| ¿eh? | Cuba, Spain, colloquial |
When you want to ask someone to repeat what they just said, you can use several different interjections or phrases depending on the social context and your location.
Which one should you use?
The form ¿cómo? is a standard way to ask for repetition. ¿mande? is a polite version of 'what?' ¿qué cosa? is an informal way to ask for repetition, often used when expressing surprise or confusion. ¿que qué? is another way to ask for repetition. For very informal or colloquial settings, you can use ¿ah? or ¿eh? to mean 'huh?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For polite interactions, especially in Mexico, ¿mande? is a very polite way to say 'what?' or 'come again?' In contrast, ¿qué cosa? is more informal. The forms ¿ah? and ¿eh? are colloquial. If you are actually telling someone to physically return to a place, you would use formal constructions like Regrese, por favor, Vuelva otra vez or Puede regresar, while using informal constructions like Vuelve pronto, Regresa cuando quieras or Vuelve otra vez por aquí.
Is it said differently in some regions?
¿mande? is commonly used in Mexico. ¿ah? is a colloquialism found in Colombia, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. ¿eh? is a colloquialism used in Spain and Cuba.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb vuelva used in some expressions is a form of the verb volver, which means to come back or to return.
Did you know?
- The polite Mexican term ¿mande? actually originates from the verb mandar, which means 'to command' or 'to order'.
- In Mexico, ¿mande? is so deeply ingrained in social etiquette that using ¿qué? in a formal setting can be perceived as surprisingly rude or aggressive.
- The word cosa used in ¿qué cosa? comes from the Latin word causa, which means 'cause' or 'reason'.
Examples in context
- Cuando necesite más información, regrese, por favor.When you need more information, come back, please.
- Gracias por su visita, vuelva otra vez.Thank you for your visit, come back again.
- Si necesita más ayuda, puede regresar en cualquier momento.If you need more help, you can come back anytime.
- ¡Fue genial verte! Vuelve pronto.It was great seeing you! Come back soon.
- ¡Nos divertimos mucho! Regresa cuando quieras.We had a great time! Come back whenever you want.
- Me encantó verte. Vuelve otra vez por aquí cuando quieras.I loved seeing you. Come back around here whenever you want.
- ¿Cómo?¿Cómo? No te escuché bien.
- ¿Cómo? ¿Podrías repetir eso?¿Cómo? Could you repeat that?
- Perdona, ¿cómo?Sorry, come again?
Example conversation
A noisy cafe where the two friends are talking.
- MaríaMañana a las ocho es la cita.The appointment is tomorrow at eight.
- Alejandro¿Cómo? Hay mucho ruido aquí.Come again? It is very noisy in here.
- MaríaDije que la cita es mañana.I said the appointment is tomorrow.
- AlejandroAh, vale, ya te entendí.Ah, okay, I understand you now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “come again” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (qué, cosa, que) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cosa, que, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
