In business meetings and other situations you have to agree and disagree. In English, politeness is important. So when you disagree with somebody, you have to be careful what you say when you do it.
Fortunately, there are ways in which you can disagree without offending people. When you disagree with someone in a business situation, it is polite to give a reason why you disagree. Agreeing is a lot easier.
In this online exercise you will learn phrases in English that are commonly used for both agreeing and disagreeing with people. First, read the below dialogue/conversation and then do the quiz/test at the end to learn which are polite and impolite to use and how to say/pronounce them perfectly.
These phrases can be used in both business and non-business situations.
Click here to see more of our free online exercises on business meeting vocabulary
Read the following conversation where the chair of a business meeting is asking the attendees whether they agree or disagree with a proposal.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
Chair:'So, Peter has proposed that we increase the budget for the IT project. Now, I'll go round the table and ask if you agree or disagree with it. So, starting with Simon.'
Attendee 1:'Well, I'm afraid that I don't. It's too much money.'
Attendee 2:'At the moment, I doubt that spending more money on the project will improve the situation. So, no.'
Attendee 3:'I completely agree with the proposal. IT is fundamental for the future of our company.'
Attendee 4:'I think the same about this proposal. It's too important not to do.'
Attendee 5:'At the moment, with the current economic situation, It's out of the question. We don't have any extra money.'
Attendee 6:'I understand Peter's point, but at the moment, we need to save and not to spend.'
Attendee 7:'I don't have a problem with the proposal. So, I agree.'
Attendee 8:'It sounds interesting, but I think we should wait before making any decisions.'
Attendee 9:'Peter, don't you think it would be better to wait until June when we'll know exactly what we'll need? So, at the moment I can't agree with it, sorry.'
Attendee 10:'To be honest, I believe it's too much money at the moment. So, no.'
Below are ten sentences. Each sentence uses one of the phrases in bold from the above text with one or two words missing. You have to complete the phrase by choosing the missing word(s) from the question's selection box. Only use one option from the selection box once. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the
icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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