Speaker 1: I guess you're here because you think podcasts are a
good way to learn English. Yeah. Absolutely, I was thinking
the same thing. You might even think they are the
best way to learn Well, I see your point, but
I'm not sure everyone would think. So maybe we can
agree to disagree. That's the language we'll look at today.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine twenty six.
How to agree and disagree politely in English. Hey, thanks
for tuning in. Today. We're gonna talk about something that
happens all the time in conversations, agreeing and disagreeing. But
it's not just saying yes or no. We're gonna look
at how to do this politely, whether you're in a meeting,
having a group chat, or just talking with a friend.
Why is this important? Well, in English, especially American English,
how you say something is just as important as what
you say. Being too direct can sometimes sound rude, even
if you don't mean it that way. But when you
know how to soften your words you can express your
opinion clearly without sounding too strong or negative. All right,
let's jump in. Let's start with a gree Now, agreeing
is usually easier than disagreeing. Right, but let's go beyond
just yes or I agree? Like how to agree politely
without sounding like a textbook. Here are a few phrases
you can use. The first one is I see what
you mean like this, I don't think we should take
the highway at this time. It's always backed up on Fridays. Yeah,
I see what you mean. Maybe we can try the
back roads instead, or we have that's a good point.
Like if we go hiking early, we'll avoid the heat
and crowds. That's a good point. Let's leave around seven
am then. Or you can agree like this, Uh, I
think we should try a new restaurant this weekend. Yeah, absolutely,
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe that new Italian place? Simple, right,
but it feels more friendly than just I agree. Now
here's where things can get tricky disagreeing. A lot of
English learners feel nervous about saying no. But guess what.
You can disagree politely, and here are a few ways
to do that. I see your point, but like your
coworker says we should all start work at eight am
to be more productive. You could say, I see your point,
but I'm not sure everyone's at their best that early.
Or that's an interesting idea. What if we tried something else. See,
you're not saying no, that's a bad idea. You're offering
a softer way to disagree and still sound like a
nice person. And sometimes you agree a little but not totally.
That's when you can say things like this, I get
what you're saying, but like if your friend says, oh,
it might rain, so I think we should cancel the picnic.
You can say I get what you're saying, but the
forecast says it'll clear up by noon. Maybe we can
just go later. When you say I get what you're saying,
but you're not totally disagreeing, but you are offering an
alternate suggestion, here's another way to do that. Like if
someone says I think social media is bad for your
mental health, you could reply with I agree with you
to a point, but I think it depends on how
you use it. I agree with you to a point,
Like I agree with you, but not totally. Here's one more.
If your classmates says online classes are just as good
for learning as in person classes. You could say that's true,
but I think in person lessons are better for speaking practice. Now,
let's talk about how native speakers actually sound when they
agree or disagree, especially when they want to be polite
or keep the conversation smooth. First of all, we don't
always give a strong yes or no. A lot of
the time we soften our language, and that's called hedging.
We use little words like maybe, kind of or a
little bit like. Instead of saying I disagree, you might
hear someone say hmmm, kind of disagree, or that might
be true, but it just sounds more gentle, more flexible.
Another trick we use is asking a question instead of
just saying no. Let's say someone gives their opinion and
you're not sure if you agree. You could say really,
oh I thought the opposite, or oh yeah, well why
do you think that? See how that invites more conversation
instead of just shutting the other person down with a no.
And finally, when we disagree or hear something new, we
often show curiosity. You might hear someone say interesting, I
hadn't thought of it that way, or that's a new
perspective For me, These kinds of responses show that you're
open even if you totally don't agree. And one last tip,
if you want to sound more natural, listen to how
people agree or disagree in English language TV shows or podcasts.
Notice how they say it. It's not about big words,
It's all about tone and style. Okay. I hope you
found these phrases useful today and you'll find some way
to incorporate them in your English conversations this week. And hey,
if you want to practice this kind of English with
me and a group of other awesome learners, come check
out my podcast Learners study group. We meet once a
week and practice the language from these podcasts less together.
It's a great way to build confidence and improve your speaking.
Just check the link where you're listening to this podcast
right now, or visit Myhappy English dot com and choose
podcast episode nine twenty six for more info. Hey, thanks
for listening, and remember, learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com. Show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review get English, get happy,
happy English