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Expressing agreement and disagreement
This lesson focuses on practical phrases and strategies to agree or disagree clearly and politely in professional and everyday conversations. You will learn expressions for strong agreement, mild agreement, polite disagreement, and firm disagreement, plus ways to soften or strengthen your stance.
- When to agree directly vs. when to acknowledge before disagreeing
- Formal and informal phrases appropriate for workplace communication
- How to soften disagreement with hedging language
- How to show strong agreement emphatically
Practice matching the phrase to the social context (email, meeting, casual chat).
Tip
Key rule: match tone to the context
Choose phrases that fit the situation and the relationship between speakers:
- Use formal language in emails and meetings (e.g., "I understand, however...").
- Use polite hedges to soften disagreement (e.g., "I see your point, but...").
- Use emphatic phrases for strong agreement in supportive statements (e.g., "I couldn't agree more").
- Acknowledge the other person's view before disagreeing to maintain rapport.
If in doubt, be more polite and add a brief reason for your agreement or disagreement.
Tip
Common mistakes to avoid
Learners often make the following universal errors when expressing agreement or disagreement:
- Being too direct or blunt in formal contexts (e.g., starting with "You're wrong").
- Failing to acknowledge the other person's idea before disagreeing.
- Using overly strong language in casual situations or weak language in formal disagreements.
- Mixing registers (e.g., using slang in a formal email).
- Confusing expressions with similar meanings but different strengths (e.g., "I suppose so" vs "I couldn't agree more").
Match politeness level and strength of language to the situation.