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Lesson 42 – Agreeing & Disagreeing

When you agree with someone completely, you can say “I totally agree” or “I strongly agree.” Another way to describe 100% agreement is to say a person agrees wholeheartedly. On the other hand, you can say “I agree up to a point” if you agree with part of the person’s opinion, but disagree with another part. Another expression is “I agree in principle” if you agree with the idea, but not with the practical application.

Avoid the common error of saying “I’m agree.” The correct phrase is “I agree” (more informally) or “I’m in agreement” (more formally).

We can say that two people share an opinion or share a view if they have the same perspective. But if there are differences, then we call this a difference of opinion. If the difference of opinion is very big, then the two sides are said to be “worlds apart” on the issue. Hopefully, two people who think differently will be able to reach a compromise (agree on a fair solution) without having a heated argument (angry/intense argument) about the issue.

One polite way to express your disagreement is: “I’m afraid I disagree.” You can also say “I see your point” to communicate the fact that you understand the other person’s idea or opinion. We call a small disagreement a minor/slight disagreement, and a big disagreement is a major/serious disagreement.

It’s easy to reason with a person who disagrees respectfully, but it’s more difficult to settle a disagreement (resolve a disagreement) if the other person disagrees vehemently (with intense emotion and expression).

If a conflict continues for a long time, it can be called a long-running dispute – and if it involves lots of angry and negative emotions, then it’s a bitter dispute. If the two sides cannot agree to disagree (tolerate the other person’s opinion, despite disagreeing), then they may need the help of a third party to resolve the conflict.