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Anonymous

#532348 Wed, 25 Jun 08 02:32 PM

Hi all!
I have a question:
Can I say "I don't agree with you"? Or it's a mistake and I always have to say "I can't agree with you!"?

Thank you.

Anonymous

optilang

#532354 Wed, 25 Jun 08 02:49 PM

Can I say "I don't agree with you"? - Yes you can

optilang

Joined on Tue, May 13 2008

Poland

Senior Member (2,179)

OptiNative British English Speaker Wherever I may roam, I'm still a Londoner.

Anonymous

#532361 Wed, 25 Jun 08 02:54 PM

Thank you. I told the same to my friend but he said sounds odd, that people usually say "I can't agree with you!"
Maybe there is some difference in written and spoken language?
Or maybe there is difference between British and American English?

Anonymous

optilang

#532411 Wed, 25 Jun 08 03:47 PM

I don't agree with you

I can't agree with you

I don't/can't see anything wrong with either.

optilang

beginnerbird

#532415 Wed, 25 Jun 08 03:55 PM

thanks :)

beginnerbird

Joined on Wed, Jun 25 2008

New Member (11)

Clive

#532419 Wed, 25 Jun 08 03:59 PM

Hi guys,
I have a question:
Can I say "I don't agree with you"? Or it's a mistake and I always have to say "I can't agree with you!"?
There's often not a lot of difference. Much depends on the context, the tone of voice, the facial expression. Here are a couple of comments on subtleties.

"I don't agree with you" There's nothing wrong with saying this, and people often do. However, it's very direct, and quite a strong statement.

"I can't agree with you" This seems a bit less strong. It suggests that 'I would like to agree with you, but unfortunately it's not possible (ie I can't agree) for me to agree with you'.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive