How to Agree and Disagree in English

Being able to express your opinion, and to agree or disagree with the opinions of others, can make conversation a lot more fun and interesting. Find out how to agree and disagree in English in this vocabulary lesson.

Have you seen any good movies lately? Have you seen any bad movies lately? A great way to practice this vocabulary is by talking about a movie you and your friends have seen recently. The best way to get used to agreeing and disagreeing is by practicing with topics that will not upset anyone... save those topics for when you are better prepared to reply.

Statements of opinion

You can start a debate or discussion by sharing your opinion, or you can give people your opinion within a conversation.

In my opinion...

This is the most straightforward way to talk about your opinion.

Frankly, I think... 

To be "frank" is to be honest. "Frankly" means the same thing as "honestly". People often say this when they want to give the impression they are expressing an opinion they wouldn't always express.

Personally, I think that...

This phrase is used to make the point that you are sharing your opinion alone, and that you do not necessarily expect others will agree with you.

If you ask me, I think that...

People use this phrase even though they have not been asked for their opinion. You can use it if you've been asked for your opinion, but it is redundant, or repetitive.

As far as I'm concerned...

This is sometimes used to express an opinion you know that will be unpopular, so it is used to say that the opinion is yours alone, or that it only affects you.

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Statements of agreement

I agree. 

This is a very straightforward way to express your position, though it does not offer much more room for conversation.

(No,) I think you're right. 

You could use this phrase two ways. If the person you are speaking to thinks their opinion will be unpopular, but you agree with them, you can say "No," at the beginning of the phrase. This means you disagree that their opinion is unpopular, but you do agree with their opinion. (Complicated!) Otherwise, if you have nothing else to add, you could just say "I think you're right."

Definitely.

This is a statement that shows you agree strongly with someone's opinion. You could also say something else about why you agree so strongly.

I think so too...

I couldn't agree more. 

Though this phrase starts with a negative, it's actually expressing agreement. This phrase actually means "I agree as much as it is possible to", but no one says that.

Statements of disagreement

I disagree.

Plain and simple, this is a very straightforward way to disagree with what someone says. However, it can come off as cold or argumentative, so use it carefully.

I'm not sure about that...

This is a way to disagree that sounds more gentle, you might use it when you think someone is expressing something that is factually untrue.

Yes, but...

That's a good point but...

While both of these may sound like someone is agreeing, they are both a non-confrontational way of disagreeing. You are pretending that you agree with what someone says, and then immediately disagreeing with them.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.

If you feel that you are at an impasse, or an argument where no solution is possible, you might just say this phrase to end the conversation.