Today's English Expression 3/30 · Stage: Opening an Issue. All example sentences are made up for this post. They are not copied from actual repository comments, and versions and commands are examples.
Table of Contents
- At a Glance
- 1. Meaning and Nuance
- 2. Examples
- 3. Similar Expressions and Differences
- 4. Common Mistakes Made by Koreans
- 5. One-Line Practice
- Model Answer
- References
At a Glance
| Expression | I can't reproduce this on v1.4.0. / I couldn't reproduce it with ... |
| Meaning | The same phenomenon does not occur on v1.4.0 (that I tested). |
| Context | Issue triage comments, bug verification during code reviews, Slack |
| Politeness | Neutral. Since it only conveys facts, it feels less like doubting the other person. |
1. Meaning and Nuance
Reproduce means to "make happen again," or reproduce a bug. In open source, it is also abbreviated as repro (a minimal repro, Can you share a repro?). The Kubernetes bug template also has a field titled How can we reproduce it (as minimally and precisely as possible)?.
I can't reproduce this is a factual report stating "it cannot be reproduced." What is important here is appending your environment after on or with. You must specify conditions like "on v1.4.0," "on a kind cluster," or "with default settings" so that the other person can compare what is different from their environment. Using just I can't reproduce without conditions can sound like "your environment seems strange."
Can't and couldn't are used with almost the same meaning. Couldn't focuses on past attempts, meaning "I tried, but it didn't work," whereas can't focuses on the current state where "it cannot be reproduced right now." Both are natural.
This expression is almost always followed by a question. This is because ending the conversation with just saying it cannot be reproduced halts the dialogue. You either request information about the other person's environment or show the steps you tried and ask what is different.
2. Examples
Situation 1: Issue triage comment
I can't reproduce this on v1.4.0 with a fresh kind cluster. Here's what I tried:
- Created a VM with the example manifest
- Ran
virtctl migrate testvmThe migration completed in about 20 seconds. Could you share your VM spec and the virt-handler logs?
Situation 2: When pointing out that conditions might differ
I couldn't reproduce it with the default storage class. Are you using a custom CSI driver by any chance?
By any chance softens the question.
Situation 3: Counterpart expression when reproduction succeeds
I can reproduce this on main as well. It looks like it started after the refactor in the reconcile loop.
Can reproduce means "I can reproduce it too," which is a helpful comment that adds credibility to the issue. It is much more useful than a simple +1.
3. Similar Expressions and Differences
- It works for me. The meaning is similar, but it has a strong nuance of "it works for me," which can inadvertently sound blunt. It is fine when used along with environment information.
- I'm not able to reproduce this. Slightly more formal and softer than can't.
- Can you share a minimal repro? An expression requesting reproduction information. Minimal means "the smallest size with unnecessary parts removed."
4. Common Mistakes Made by Koreans
- I can't reappear this problem. Reappear is an intransitive verb meaning "to appear again," so it cannot take an object.
- Corrected sentence: I can't reproduce this problem.
- In my environment, it is not occurred. Occur is not used in the passive voice.
- Corrected sentence: It doesn't happen in my environment. Or I don't see this in my setup.
- Your environment seems wrong. This sounds like blaming the other person. Change it to a sentence asking about the difference.
- Corrected sentence: There might be a difference in our setups. Could you share your Helm values?
5. One-Line Practice
Rewrite the following Korean sentence as an English comment.
It doesn't reproduce on the main branch. Could you let me know which version you are using?
Model Answer
I can't reproduce this on main. Could you let me know which version you're running?
Using run a version is natural in English for "using a certain version." Using use is also not incorrect.
TT's Word. If you append "here is what I tried" after "it doesn't work," that comment becomes collaboration rather than rebuttal.
References
- Kubernetes Bug Report Template (How can we reproduce it): https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report.yaml
- Merriam-Webster, "reproduce": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reproduce