wie bitte

pardon, excuse me

interjection vee BIT-te Rare

Also means

I beg your pardon

Usage Note

Wie bitte is the standard polite formula to ask someone to repeat what they said. Its tone ranges from genuinely confused to mildly indignant, depending on intonation. Do not confuse with bitte alone which means 'please' or 'here you go'.

Examples

"Wie bitte? Ich habe dich nicht verstanden."

Natural Translation

Pardon? I didn't understand you.

Literal Translation

How please? I have you not understood.

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