I cant understand him, what should I do.?

Question

My neighbor is German and I can barely understand him when he talks to me.Then when he has a few beers--- forget it.
So I smile and say ya alot and nod my head. I got to thinking that I may be saying yes to things that I dont mean too.
Hes lived here for along time, so he speaks fluent English.( but with a HEAVY accent)

Should I continue to smile and act like I understand him, or ask him to repeat things or what.
I DONT want to be rude. Helpful Suggestions please.

Most accents I CAN understand. Not a problem.
i can get the swear qords and maybe a noun or two from about 3 sentences.
Hes a " tough " kind of guy so
HOW exactly should I ask him to repeat Himself.

By the way he can TOTALLY understand me.

Answer 1

Say:

What are you driving at? -- Worauf wollen Sie hinaus?
What are you talking about? -- Worüber redest du?
What are you thinking about? -- Worüber denkst du nach?
What are you up to? -- Was hast du vor?
What are your terms? -- Wie hoch ist ihr Honorar?

OR

Like what? -- Was zum Beispiel?
You what? -- Hä?

Gute Nacht!!

Answer 2

As an Indian dealing with my Swiss boss, I had similar problems.. I ended up finding that the right/polite thing to do is to actually tell her that I really did not understand.. which I am sure was her problem with my accent as well
So we got to a point where I would try and paraphrase what she said and if she agreed, she said yes, else she wrote it down for me..
now two years down the line, we understand each other perfectly!

This may not perfectly map to your situation.. but all the same.. see if you can get it across that you dont really understand much of what that guy says!

Answer 3

I would ask him to repeat then if I could not understand him I would just smile and let it go at that.....I would quit saying ya because you may be leading him on and you never can be to sure of what he is saying and he may one day take advantage and thinks that you want him......Do you speak another language if so try it on him and see what happens. LOL

Answer 4

you can either take up German or ask him to repeat himself nicely. I'm in the same situation as you. My roommates are from Korea and I can barely understand what they say but I try to make the most out of it. Maybe he can teach you German.

Answer 5

you gotta act with a lot of subtility, given the fact that it is a very delicate situation, indeed. i suggest you start using very sofisticated words, idioms and expressions only a person having english as mother-tongue would understand. so, he will have to ask you to repeat, or what you meant, and then it will be easier to bring up your own problem, when trying to deal with his.

Answer 6

I kinda know how you feel...my old neighbor is from Cambodia, and he does not know much English and has an accent. Perhaps you could learn a few things in German, like "Gutan Tag" means "Hello" in German, or you could say, "Would you repeat that sentence, please?"

Answer 7

Well, i think you better tell him that you didnt understand what he says... or look at him in a confuse manner so that he can feel that you didnt understand him... Better say honest to him rather always nod and said yes! and thats not rudeness...well as the saying goes... HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY! isn't it?

Answer 8

It's not rude to ask him to repeat what he said. It's better for you to understand what he is saying than to pretend too.

Answer 9

I have that problem with my son -in-law,I ask him to repeat himself,i bought a Spanish to help me understand what he is saying

Answer 10

It would be proper to ask him to repeat the question, and if you still don't understand him, tell him you don't understand. The truth is always the best.

Answer 11

You should ask him to repeat things if you're not sure. You could end up saying yes to something that could crush his feelings if you're not careful. Just a warning.