Partner A
Easier: Do you usually agree with your colleagues? Why or why not?
How do you say "That won't work" without offending anyone?
More challenging: In what situations is it better to avoid a compromise and stand your ground?
Jamesleads the live roundsAvalern · by SimmondsB15 min · English
Agreeing and disagreeing politely in English: vocabulary, dialogue and typical phrases
Editorially responsible: James Simmondspublished 3 Oct 2026AI-generated text (learn more – how we use AI on these pages)
Live rounds with a trainer and a small group. To warm up: Theo asks, you answer.
Allow the microphone – Theo asks the first question.
Your recap
Only in this browser window – we store nothing
AI conversation partner, synthetic voice · your voice is processed live by Google Gemini, we store no audio and no transcript · max. 5 minAbout the AIWith headphones you can interrupt Theo. Without them, the microphone only listens once Theo has finished.
Polite disagreementB1 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about agreeing and disagreeing politely (level B1)Making appointmentsA2 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about making appointments (level A2)Speaking in meetingsB1 – Practise speaking English: a conversation about speaking up in meetings (level B1)Sorry, could you say that again?Give me a second to think.How do you say … in English?
Question of the day
In the intro, what is a good thing to do before sharing a different opinion?
Show the answer – Open the answer to the question of the day
Correct answer: Acknowledge the other person's view
You can find the answer in the English introduction.
Listen to the introduction
Speed
Transcript
Hi, I'm Theo, and this is a two-minute conversation starter. Today: agreeing and disagreeing politely at work. When you work in a team, you won't always have the same ideas. Sometimes you completely agree – Jump to the vocabulary entry for completely agree with a colleague. But what happens when you disagree with someone – Jump to the vocabulary entry for disagree with someone? If you say 'That is a bad idea', you might offend someone – Jump to the vocabulary entry for offend someone. It is usually better to respect their point of view – Jump to the vocabulary entry for point of view first. You can say 'I see what you mean, but I have another idea.' This shows you are listening. Then, you can suggest an alternative – Jump to the vocabulary entry for suggest an alternative or try to find a compromise – Jump to the vocabulary entry for find a compromise. Good communication keeps the team happy. Think about your last meeting. How do you usually handle different opinions?
Vocabulary
- completely agree/kəmˈpliːt.li əˈɡriː/
- Meaning: To have exactly the same opinion as someone else.
- Example: I completely agree with your plan for the new project.
- disagree with someone/ˌdɪsəˈɡriː wɪð ˈsʌmwʌn/
- Meaning: To have a different opinion.
- Example: It is normal to disagree with someone in a team meeting.
- offend someone/əˈfend ˈsʌmwʌn/
- Meaning: To make someone feel upset or angry by saying something rude.
- Example: Please be careful not to offend someone when giving feedback.
- point of view/ˌpɔɪnt əv ˈvjuː/
- Meaning: A way of looking at or thinking about a situation.
- Example: From my point of view, we need more time to finish this.
- suggest an alternative/səˈdʒest ən ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/
- Meaning: To offer a different plan or idea.
- Example: If the software is difficult to use, we must suggest an alternative.
- find a compromise/faɪnd ə ˈkɒm.prə.maɪz/
- Meaning: To reach an agreement where both sides give up something.
- Example: We want different things, but I am sure we can find a compromise.
Dialogue
- AnnaWe should move the deadline to next Friday.
- MarkI see your point of view, but the client needs it on Wednesday.
- AnnaIf we rush, we might make mistakes.
- MarkI don't want to offend anyone, but I disagree. We can work a bit faster.
- AnnaQuality is more important than speed. We need to find a compromise.
- MarkTrue. Could we suggest an alternative to the client?
- AnnaMaybe we can deliver the first part on Wednesday, and the rest on Friday.
- MarkI completely agree. That sounds like a great plan.
Questions for your conversation
Partner B
Easier: Is it easy for you to say no to a manager? Why or why not?
How do people in your company usually handle disagreements?
More challenging: How might cultural differences affect the way we agree or disagree in international teams?
Partner A
Easier: Do you like discussing different ideas at work? Why or why not?
What phrases do you use to show you understand someone's point of view?
More challenging: How would you handle a situation where a colleague completely ignores your alternative suggestions?
Useful phrases
- I see what you mean, but we don't have enough time.
- I completely agree with you.
- I'm afraid I disagree.
- Could we find a compromise?
- That's a very good point.
- Let's suggest an alternative.
Topic quiz
Five quick questions check vocabulary and listening comprehension.
You might also be interested in
All conversations – Back to all conversations of our English conversation classes
Making appointments – Practise speaking English: a conversation about making appointments (level A2)
Does Tuesday work? Learn how to plan and change meetings.
Practise with Theo →
Speaking in meetings – Practise speaking English: a conversation about speaking up in meetings (level B1)
Do you find it hard to join in during meetings in English? Practise useful phrases.
Practise with Theo →
AI at work – Practise speaking English: a conversation about whether AI should write your emails (level B2)
Theo says letting AI write your emails makes your English worse. Do you agree?
Practise with Theo →Questions
Who is Theo?
Theo is an AI conversation partner for warming up, not a teacher. The voice is synthetic. In the live rounds, a trainer talks with you.
Is my conversation stored?
We store neither audio nor a transcript. During the conversation, your voice is sent to Google (Gemini) for processing. The conversation ends after no more than five minutes.
Newsletter
A new conversation every day
Once a week: all conversations of the week, plus podcast episodes and live-round dates. Unsubscribe any time.