Words (Core Vocabulary)
- agreement / alignment / common ground
- disagreement / pushback / concern
- hedge / soften / nuance / qualify
- partly / mostly / strongly
- fair point / valid point / I see where you’re coming from
Phrases (Keep it friendly)
Agreeing (light → strong)
- I think so too.
- I agree / That makes sense.
- You’re right about that.
- I completely/strongly agree.
- Absolutely / Exactly.
Qualified agreement
- I agree with the goal, but I’d tweak the approach.
- Mostly yes; my only concern is timing.
Disagreeing (polite)
- I see your point; however…
- I’m not sure that’s the case.
- I take a different view on…
- I don’t think that follows because…
- I’m afraid I disagree.
Softening & hedging
- It might be worth considering…
- I could be wrong, but…
- Another way to look at it is…
- Perhaps we could… / Maybe we should…
Bridging to solutions
- What if we…
- Could we try X first and revisit Y next week?
- Let’s test both options and compare.
Contextual Examples (Natural, everyday)
- Agree: Good point—I agree the earlier train is less risky.
- Qualified: I agree with the direction, but I’m concerned about budget.
- Disagree: I see where you’re coming from; however, the data suggests a different trend.
Collocations & Phrases (bold the key words)
- find common ground
- offer a counterpoint
- acknowledge a fair point
- soften your language
- suggest a compromise
- test an assumption
Canadian Cultural Context
- A short acknowledgement before disagreeing is common and respectful.
- Words like “might,” “perhaps,” “could” help keep tone warm without hiding your meaning.
Extra Mini-Patterns (plug-and-play)
- Soft no: “I see the idea; I’m not sure it fits our timeline—could we scope a pilot?”
- Bridge: “Valid point. At the same time, here’s a risk I’m seeing…”
- Close: “Let’s try this for a week and check in Friday.”