Disagreeing with people is a difficult and uncomfortable situation, especially when you're using a second language. In this lesson, you'll learn how to disagree with people by using the most appropriate English phrases to say your opinion and disagree with people without upsetting them.
The lesson focuses on four aspects of dealing with disagreement: remaining neutral, offering your own opinion modestly, prefacing your disagreement, and disagreeing respectfully.
Remaining Neutral
Sometimes it's better to remain neutral than disagreeing directly with someone. When you remain neutral, it shows the person that you are listening and understanding what they are saying, but you are not fully agreeing with them. The phrases below can show that you understand without fully agreeing:
Perhaps
I suppose
It’s possible
I agree with you to an extent
I see what you’re saying
You may be right
That could be true
That’s a fair point
Offering Your Opinion Modestly
When you want to offer your opinion, it can be more polite to either ask permission to say it or to give a phrase to introduce it in a way that sounds modest. Here are some useful expressions to use before saying your opinion:
If I could just offer my two cents…
If I can chime in for a moment…
May I share my thoughts on this?
Can I offer my opinion?
Prefacing Your Disagreement
Before disagreeing with someone, it's a good idea to first show respect to their opinion. This will make your conversation more constructive rather than aggressive. You can use the phrases below to show that you understand and respect the other person's point before you disagree with it.
I understand, but...
I see your point, but…
I hear what you’re saying but….
I know what you mean, but…
Focusing on Your Own Opinion
Instead of commenting on the other person's opinion or focusing on disagreement with phrases like "you're wrong" or "I disagree", it can be softer and more indirect to only focus on your own opinion instead. You can use these phrases to disagree indirectly by focusing on your own different opinion.
Well, I have a different take
Okay, but I see it a bit differently
I have a different perspective
You think so? The way I see it....
Disagreeing
If you want to make it clearer that you are disagreeing with their opinion, you can still do it in a polite and respectful way, by using the phrases below:
I’m afraid I disagree
I have to disagree with you there
I don’t quite see it that way
I’m not so sure about that
With all due respect, I disagree
Sample Dialogue
David | As you all know, we need ideas on how to improve customer loyalty for our company. |
Laura | May I share my thoughts on this? |
David | Certainly! What do you think? |
Laura | In my opinion, offering special discounts is a great way to reward loyalty. Everyone appreciates something exclusive, and they’ll respond well to the offer. |
Sam | I know what you mean, but I don't quite see it that way. I think offering discounts is a mistake. Lowering our price by 20% would hurt our profits too much. |
Laura | I see your point, but I have to disagree with you there. If it's only a 10% discount, it’s not going to have a significant impact on profits. They’ll likely purchase even more if they know they’re getting a good deal. |
David | Are there any different perspectives on this? |
Kim | If I can chime in for a moment, I think there are better options available to us, such as creating a loyalty point system with rewards for accumulating points. |
Sam | You think so? The way I see it, reward points aren't motivating to people anymore. They've seen too many points for everything so now they just find points annoying. |
Kim | I respectfully disagree. I know many friends of mine who go to the same place specifically to collect points. As long as the rewards are appealing, I think it can work. |
David | Well, thank you everyone for your input. You've certainly given me some ideas to think about. I'll mention these suggestions to our sales and marketing team and let you know what they say. |
Comentários