How to Ask a Teacher to Explain a Problem in Italian
Learn to ask a teacher or classmate to explain an academic problem in Italian, using clear polite questions, the right vocabulary for subjects and exercises, and follow-up requests when you still do not understand.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you need help with homework, a grammar rule, or a math exercise, Italian has specific polite ways to ask for an explanation. This lesson teaches you how to say "Can you explain this problem?" and how to ask follow-up questions when the first answer is still unclear. You will learn the verb spiegare (to explain), how to point to a specific exercise, and how to ask about a subject or a rule. The focus is academic help, not general favors like opening a window or lending a pen, so the vocabulary is about lessons, exercises, and understanding.
By the end, you can…
- ask a teacher or classmate to explain an academic problem in Italian.
- name the subject or exercise I need help with and ask a follow-up question if I still do not understand.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Puoi spiegarmi questo problema?
Can you explain this problem to me?
PWOH-ee spyeh-GAHR-mee KWEH-stoh proh-BLEH-mah
Standard informal question to a classmate, friend, or teacher you address with tu. The pronoun mi (to me) attaches to the infinitive: spiegarmi.
Potrebbe spiegarmi questo esercizio?
Could you explain this exercise to me?
poh-TREHB-beh spyeh-GAHR-mee KWEH-stoh eh-zehr-CHEE-tseeoh
Polite form used with a teacher you address with Lei. Use this in class or during office hours.
Non ho capito la regola di grammatica.
I did not understand the grammar rule.
nohn oh kah-PEE-toh lah REH-goh-lah dee grahm-MAH-tee-kah
Use passato prossimo ho capito for a completed action. This states the problem before you ask for help.
Come si dice 'homework' in italiano?
How do you say 'homework' in Italian?
KOH-meh see DEE-cheh 'homework' een ee-tah-LYAH-noh
Useful when you need a word during a lesson. The teacher may answer compiti or compiti a casa.
Me lo puoi rispiegare più lentamente?
Can you explain it to me again more slowly?
meh loh PWOH-ee ree-spyeh-GAH-reh pyoo lehn-tah-MEN-teh
Follow-up when the first explanation was too fast. Me lo means 'it to me'; rispiegare means 'to explain again'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is potere + spiegare + object + a person. In the informal tu form: Puoi spiegarmi questo problema? In the polite Lei form: Può or Potrebbe spiegarmi questo esercizio? The indirect object pronoun mi (to me) can attach to the infinitive, giving spiegarmi, or come before the verb: Mi puoi spiegare questo problema? Both are correct. To name the academic target, use questo/questa for 'this': questo problema, questo esercizio, questa regola, questa frase. For a subject, say la lezione di matematica, di storia, di italiano.
When to use it
Use Puoi spiegarmi... with classmates, friends, or a teacher who uses tu with you. Use Potrebbe spiegarmi... with a teacher, professor, or school staff you address with Lei; it is polite and appropriate in class. If you still do not understand, add a follow-up: Non ho capito, me lo puoi rispiegare? or Puoi farmi un esempio? (Can you give me an example?). For a specific exercise, point and say Questo esercizio, per favore. Avoid asking a professor Puoi spiegarmi... unless you already use tu together; the Lei form is safer in academic settings.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Scusa, professoressa, potrebbe spiegarmi questo esercizio di matematica?
Excuse me, professor, could you explain this math exercise to me?SKOO-zah proh-fehs-SOH-rehs-sah poh-TREHB-beh spyeh-GAHR-mee KWEH-stoh eh-zehr-CHEE-tseeoh dee mah-teh-MAH-tee-kahCerto. Quale parte non hai capito?
Of course. Which part did you not understand?CHEHR-toh KWAH-leh PAR-teh nohn eye kah-PEE-tohNon ho capito la regola. Me la può rispiegare più lentamente?
I did not understand the rule. Can you explain it to me again more slowly?nohn oh kah-PEE-toh lah REH-goh-lah meh lah pwoh ree-spyeh-GAH-reh pyoo lehn-tah-MEN-tehCerto. Ascolta: prima si usa il verbo, poi il complemento oggetto.
Of course. Listen: first you use the verb, then the direct object.CHEHR-toh ah-SKOHL-tah PREE-mah see OO-zah eel VEHR-boh poy eel kohm-pleh-MEN-toh ohd-JEHT-tohA little context goes a long way
In Italian schools and universities, students often ask questions during or after class, but the form of address matters. Use Lei with professors and teachers you do not know well, and tu with classmates or teachers who invite it. Raising your hand and saying Posso fare una domanda? (May I ask a question?) is common in class. Office hours, called ricevimento, are a normal place for longer explanations.
One thing to watch for
Saying Puoi spiegarmi questo problema? to a professor you address with Lei.
Try this instead: Use the polite third-person form: Potrebbe spiegarmi questo problema? or Può spiegarmi questo problema? The tu form is only for people you already address with tu, such as classmates or friends.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask a professor to explain this exercise?
Show a sample answer
Potrebbe spiegarmi questo esercizio?
Potrebbe is the polite Lei form of potere, and spiegarmi means 'to explain to me'. Può spiegarmi questo esercizio? is also correct and slightly more direct.
2You did not understand the grammar rule. What can you say?
Show a sample answer
Non ho capito la regola di grammatica.
This uses the passato prossimo ho capito to state that you did not understand. Non capisco la regola is also possible if you mean you do not understand it right now.
3How do you ask a classmate to explain it again more slowly?
Show a sample answer
Me lo puoi rispiegare più lentamente?
Me lo means 'it to me', puoi is the informal 'you can', and rispiegare means 'to explain again'. Puoi rispiegarmelo più lentamente? is an equally correct alternative.
Use Puoi spiegarmi... with classmates and Potrebbe spiegarmi... with professors, name the exact exercise or rule, and add a follow-up like Me lo può rispiegare? when you still need help.
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