Shadowing Practice: How to Disagree Politely in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello and welcome to your Confident English Wednesday lesson.
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This week we are focused on how you can disagree with others politely in English and express your opinion.
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Whether you work in a company with English speakers or have colleagues around the world who speak English or friends,
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it is likely that at some point you will disagree with an opinion,
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an idea, a perspective, or how someone wants to do something.
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So in this lesson, you're going to learn everything you need to know to do that politely in English.
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In English, there are three easy steps to having a successful,
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polite, and effective disagreement so that you can express your opinion.
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Step one of expressing disagreement is making sure that you begin by softening the language.
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We want to use very soft language that is not aggressive, not angry, it will not offend anyone,
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but it will show that you are thinking professionally about the situation, you want to be polite, and you have something you want to express.
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So a couple of ways to do that.
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You can start off by saying that you understand the person's idea
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or position something like I hear what you're saying
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but I hear what you're saying but so this shows
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that you're listening you understand you just have a different idea
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we also start expressions by apologizing again we don't want to be offensive we don't want to be too aggressive
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so when we apologize it immediately softens the situation so
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So we can say, I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you.
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I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you.
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And finally, you can pretend that you're not sure if you disagree.
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Again, this just takes away the tension of the situation.
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It makes it very calm.
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So instead of being direct and hard, you can say, I'm not sure I agree with you.
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I'm not sure I agree with you.
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Any of those expressions, those strategies will help you make sure
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that you start your disagreement in a very polite and effective way.
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I've given you a lot of different example expressions that you can use with these strategies in the lesson below.
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The second step in disagreeing with others after you introduce your disagreement is to offer an alternative or a suggestion.
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English -speaking culture is often solution -focused.
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We always want to be looking for solutions, not just talking about problems.
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So if you're going to disagree, you want to make sure that you're ready to express your opinion, your idea, or an alternative solution.
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A couple of example expressions you can use is, In my opinion, I would suggest, or if you ask me, I would recommend
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and again in the online lesson there are several other examples
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but all of them allow you to introduce what your suggestion your alternative solution
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or idea might be and finally in part three of a successful
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and polite disagreement we always want to end in a positive way
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or on a positive note most of the time it is easy, kind of, to find some middle ground or common ground,
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something that both sides can agree on.
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But, of course, sometimes it's not possible.
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Sometimes both sides have such strong opinions that they cannot find something to agree on in the middle.
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If that happens to you in English, I have the perfect expression for you.
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We'll just have to agree to disagree.
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We'll just have to agree to disagree.
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That is the perfect way to end a disagreement where there is no end.
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If no one on either side will win, you can use that expression to release the tension, to lighten the conversation.
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It's polite and it brings the conversation to an end without anyone being offended.
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In the online lesson, I've also given you some informal ways that you can express disagreement with others,
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but I really recommend that you only use those with friends, family members, or colleagues that you know very well.
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They're not really appropriate for business situations such as a meeting or negotiation.
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They're not professional responses to disagreeing.
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And finally, I would love to hear from you if you've ever had experience disagreeing with someone in English.
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What did you do?
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How did you express your disagreement?
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I would love for you to share your experience
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and what you know in English to do in those situations so that you can help others in the Confident English community.
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And you can share all of your experiences, your comments, your thoughts in the comments section just at the bottom of this lesson.
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Thank you so much for joining me.
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I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday for your Confident English lesson.
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And as always, if you found this useful, please feel free to share it with friends and colleagues.
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You can share it on Facebook, share it on Twitter.
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You can like this video, subscribe to this YouTube channel.
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There are so many ways to let others know that this was useful to you and to let me know.
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So thank you again and I'll see you next week.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Disagree Politely in English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: English, disagreement, disagree, lesson, expression. This video has 64 sentences and 862 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:43. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| disagree verb | /dɪsəˈɡɹi/ | To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. |
| disagreement noun | /dɪsəˈɡɹiːmənt/ | An argument or debate. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| aggressive adjective | /əˈɡɹɛs.ɪv/ | Characterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing. |
| suggestion noun | /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/ | Something suggested (with subsequent adposition being for) |
| tension noun | /ˈtɛnʃən/ | The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other. |
| apologize verb | /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ | To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends |
| offend verb | /əˈfɛnd/ | To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult. |
| offensive adjective | /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/ | Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| informal adjective | /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ | Not formal or ceremonious. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| start off verb | To begin. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you.
- I'm not sure I agree with you.
- We'll just have to agree to disagree.
- What did you do?
- How did you express your disagreement?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if you ask me, I would recommend · If no one on either side will win |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've given · I've also given · you've ever had |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 21 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/, tension /ˈtɛnʃən/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: disagreement /dɪsəˈɡɹiːmənt/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like disagree, disagreement, lesson.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.