Ways of expressing agreement
- That’s right/You’re right/I know: used when agreeing with someone:
‘He’s really boring, isn’t he?’ ‘Oh, I know, he never stops talking about himself.’
- Exactly/Absolutely/I couldn’t agree more: used for saying that you completely agree with someone:
‘I think Jacob is the best person for the job.’ ‘Absolutely. I’ll be amazed if he doesn’t get it.’
‘We had to wait three months to get a phone line – it’s ridiculous.’ ‘I couldn’t agree more.‘
- You can say that again/You’re telling me: a more informal way of saying that you completely agree with someone:
‘The buses are so unreliable!’ ‘You’re telling me! I’ve been waiting here for half an hour.’
- Why not? used when agreeing with a suggestion someone has made:
- I suppose (so)/I guess (so): used when you agree that someone is right, but you are not happy with the situation:
Ways of expressing disagreement
- I’m sorry, but…/Excuse me, but…/Pardon me, but…: used when politely telling someone that you do not agree with them:
- Absolutely not/Of course not…/Nothing of the kind! used for saying that you completely disagree with what someone has said:
- I don’t know/I take your point/That’s true, but…: used as polite ways of saying that you do not really agree with someone:
‘These taxes on petrol are far too high.’ ‘Well yes, I take your point. But maybe that’ll encourage people to use their cars less.’
‘She’s a difficult person to work with.’ ‘That’s true, but she’s a really good designer.’
- Speak for yourself…: an informal and sometimes impolite way of telling someone that your opinion is very different to theirs:
- Don’t make me laugh/Are you kidding?/You must be joking…: informal ways of telling someone you completely disagree with them, and you think that what they have said is crazy: