\input zb-basic \input zb-matheduc \iteman{ZMATH 1996a.00106} \itemau{Alr\o, H.} \itemti{You ask too little of yourself. (I forlanger for lidt af jer selv.)} \itemso{Nord. Mat.didakt. 3, No. 2, 7-27 (1995).} \itemab Why do the students not understand what the teachers is aiming at, and why does the teacher not explain things so that the students understand what he means? These questions seem to be crucial when there are troubles in the mathematics lesson. This article analyses the interaction between teacher and students in a certain lesson, and it shows how the mutual patterns of communication obstruct the students' learning of a mathematical subject. \itemrv{~} \itemcc{C50} \itemut{} \itemli{} \end