If someone asks you ‘Do you get the picture?’, they are checking if you understand something.
So, here, ‘picture’ isn’t something you hang on a wall, instead it means having a clear idea (or imagined picture) of something in your head.
If the speaker says this, they are often explaining something important or giving instructions so they want to be sure you understand.
‘Do you get the picture?’ is a less direct way (more friendly) way of saying ‘Do you understand?’.
Sometimes the speaker will also use other less direct phrases to check understanding, like ‘Are you following me?’, ‘Are you with me?’ or ‘Does that make sense?’
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If you understand the speaker, you can reply by saying ‘Yes’, ‘Sure’, or ‘I got it.’
If you don’t understand, instead of saying ‘I don’t understand’, it’s better to reply using phrases like ‘Not really’ or ‘Not exactly’.
If you can, also try to help the speaker by saying which part you didn’t understand. One phrase you can use to do this is ‘What do you mean by (part)?’
Or, if you’re not sure between two meanings, try saying ‘Do you mean (meaning 1) or (meaning 2)?’ Then, when you finally understand, you can say ‘Now I get it.’
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Extra tip: If it’s something important, it’s also a good idea to check you understand by summarizing what the speaker said. You can start this with phrases like ‘So, you mean…’ or ‘So, what you’re saying is…’ |
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