When a classmate or teacher explains something and you still feel lost, you need a few polite, clear phrases to ask for help. In this workshop you will practice asking for an explanation, checking your understanding, and asking for the explanation again. You will work with short lines from a study conversation, first as a guided exchange, then as a listening choice, and finally as a recall task where you and a partner switch roles.
Asking someone to explain
Start with a direct but polite request. «¿Me puedes explicar este problema?» means that you want the other person to make a problem clear to you. If you want to name the subject or the task, you can say «No entiendo este ejercicio de matemáticas.», which tells the listener that a math exercise is the thing you do not understand. When you want to know the method, not just the answer, use «¿Puedes explicarme cómo se resuelve?»: it asks the other person to show you how the problem is solved. These three lines are useful at the start of a study conversation, before anyone has explained anything yet.
Checking and asking again
After an explanation, you may understand part of it but still need more. «¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?» is the line for that moment: it asks the other person to explain it to you one more time. In a longer exchange, one student says «Oye, no entiendo este problema de química. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve?», which combines not understanding a chemistry problem with a request to explain how it is solved. The other student answers with «Claro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?», which begins the explanation by talking about balancing the equation and asks whether the atoms on each side are visible. The first student then says «Sí, pero no entiendo por qué cambian los números. ¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?», which accepts part of the explanation but asks for it again. The explanation continues with «Mira, cada átomo debe estar igual en los dos lados. Por eso ajustamos los coeficientes. ¿Ahora sí?», which says that each atom must be equal on both sides and that this is why the coefficients are adjusted, then asks whether the student gets it now.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
¿Me puedes explicar este problema?
Can you explain this problem to me?
meh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR EHS-teh proh-BLEH-mah
No entiendo este ejercicio de matemáticas.
I don't understand this math exercise.
noh ehn-TYEHN-doh EHS-teh eh-hehr-SEE-syoh deh mah-teh-MAH-tee-kahs
¿Puedes explicarme cómo se resuelve?
Can you explain to me how it is solved?
PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR-meh KOH-moh seh reh-SWEHL-veh
¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?
Can you explain it to me again?
meh loh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR OH-trah vehs
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Oye, no entiendo este problema de química. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve?
Hey, I don't understand this chemistry problem. Can you explain to me how it is solved?Claro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?
Sure. First you have to balance the equation. Do you see the atoms on each side?Sí, pero no entiendo por qué cambian los números. ¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?
Yes, but I don't understand why the numbers change. Can you explain it to me again?Mira, cada átomo debe estar igual en los dos lados. Por eso ajustamos los coeficientes. ¿Ahora sí?
Look, each atom must be equal on both sides. That's why we adjust the coefficients. Now do you get it?Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided study exchange
You are a student who does not understand a chemistry problem. Your partner is a classmate who can explain it. Read your lines aloud, then switch roles and read the exchange again.
Your task: Student A says «Oye, no entiendo este problema de química. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve?». Student B answers with «Claro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?». Student A replies with «Sí, pero no entiendo por qué cambian los números. ¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?». Student B finishes with «Mira, cada átomo debe estar igual en los dos lados. Por eso ajustamos los coeficientes. ¿Ahora sí?». After the first round, swap roles: the new Student A reads the same lines in the same order, and the new Student B answers in the same order.
Choose the right reply
Imagine a classmate has just explained a problem to you, but you still do not understand why the numbers change. You want the classmate to go through it one more time.
Your task: Which line fits this situation best: «¿Me puedes explicar este problema?», «¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?», or «Claro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?»? Say your choice aloud, then say the line. After that, answer this question: if a classmate says «No entiendo este ejercicio de matemáticas.», what subject are they talking about?
Recall the roles
Work with a partner. One of you is the student who needs help, and the other is the classmate who explains. Use only the lines you have practiced.
Your task: The student who needs help begins with «Oye, no entiendo este problema de química. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve?». The classmate answers with «Claro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?». The student replies with «Sí, pero no entiendo por qué cambian los números. ¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?». The classmate finishes with «Mira, cada átomo debe estar igual en los dos lados. Por eso ajustamos los coeficientes. ¿Ahora sí?». Then swap roles and repeat the same order. Do not change who speaks first.
Common questions
Can I use these lines if I am the one explaining?
Yes. The lines for asking for help belong to the student who does not understand, and the lines about balancing the equation and adjusting coefficients belong to the classmate who explains. When you swap roles, you read the other person's lines, but the order of the exchange stays the same.
What should I do if I still do not understand after the second explanation?
You can use «¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?» again to ask for the explanation one more time. You can also use «¿Me puedes explicar este problema?» or «¿Puedes explicarme cómo se resuelve?» to ask for a clear explanation or for the method. Keep your request polite and specific, and give the other person a moment to answer.
Sources and further reading
- spanish: ask for help with homeworkChecked September 2026
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