Didn't understand a word meaning in English

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Definition

I didn't understand a word of that!: I have no idea what you just said! idiom

Examples

  • "Bruno : I don't understand a word, Brian."
  • "I say tomato, you say tomato, I say potato, you say potato, but ironically enough I don't understand a word you're saying."
  • "I'm sorry but I didn't understand a word of that."
Exercise 1
"I don't understand a word you're saying."

When Bruno says this to Kimberly, he claims that:
"I don't understand a word you're saying."

When Bruno says this to Kimberly, he claims that:
This is the correct answer. We say that we "don't (or can't) understand a word" of what someone is saying when we want to express that we understand nothing that is said. Example: "I love the sound of Hindi, but I can't understand a word of it".
This is incorrect. To say that we don't understand "a word" does not literally mean that there is only one word which we have not understood.
This is incorrect. The expression "I don't understand a word" is unrelated to any willingness or refusal to understand.
Exercise 2
"I don't understand a word you're saying."

When Bruno says this to Kimberly, he claims that:
"I don't understand a word you're saying."

When Bruno says this to Kimberly, he claims that:
This is the correct answer. We say that we "don't (or can't) understand a word" of what someone is saying when we want to express that we understand nothing that is said. Example: "I love the sound of Hindi, but I can't understand a word of it".
This is incorrect. To say that we don't understand "a word" does not literally mean that there is only one word which we have not understood.
This is incorrect. The expression "I don't understand a word" is unrelated to any willingness or refusal to understand.

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