Disagreeing with people
Sometimes people give an opinion and you don't agree with it.
We have many ways to show disagreement in English. Here are ten of them.
Ten ways to disagree with someone
casual · neutral · formal
- I'm not sure about that!neutral"Galle is bigger than Kandy." "I'm not sure about that!"
- You could be right, but...neutralYou could be right, but I think the shop closes at six.
- (I'm afraid) I don't agree.neutralI'm afraid I don't agree. The plan is too expensive.
- I agree up to a point, but...neutralI agree up to a point, but we still need more time.
- That's an interesting idea, but...neutralThat's an interesting idea, but who will pay for it?
- Do you really think...?neutralDo you really think we can finish by Friday?
- Rubbish! / Nonsense!casualstrong"The earth is flat." "Rubbish!"
- You can't be serious!casualstrongYou want to walk to Kandy? You can't be serious!
- Actually, as a matter of fact. I think...neutralActually, as a matter of fact, I think he's from Matara.
- That's not how I see it.neutral"Exams are a waste of time." "That's not how I see it."
How to use them
- are quite polite and not too direct in saying you disagree.
- is neutral. We use 'I'm afraid' to soften it and make it less aggressive to the other speaker.
- are showing partial agreement with the other speaker but both are followed with the second speaker's (different) ideas.
- is used to question how the other speaker could really think something that you think is completely wrong.
- are saying that the other speaker is completely wrong in a very direct, blunt way.
Quick check
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You disagree with your manager in a meeting. Which phrase is polite?
Which phrase agrees with part of the idea before disagreeing?
Which phrase should you keep for close friends?
See also: Agreeing with people · "You are wrong"
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Agreeing with people
When we're having conversations with others, it's useful to have a number of formal and informal phrases that you can use to show agreement with what another person has said.
Changing your mind
Sometimes you make a decision or you think you know an answer and a short time later, you realize that you were wrong.