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Search concise B1/B1+ rules, vocabulary and speaking phrases without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.

Return to Lesson 16 — conversationHighlighted: language from Lesson 16

Agreeing & disagreeing

Respond to opinions without sounding aggressive or weak.

5 phrases

  • "Absolutely / Definitely."

    Absolutely — that's exactly what I meant.

  • "I see your point, but…"

    I see your point, but I'd look at it differently.

  • "I'm not so sure about that."

    I'm not so sure about that — it depends on the price.

  • "Yes and no."

    Yes and no — partly true, but it's more complicated.

  • "I'd have to disagree."

    I'd have to disagree there — I had a great experience.

Asking questions politely

Soften questions for strangers, customer service, formal contexts.

4 phrases

  • "Could you tell me…?"

    Could you tell me where platform 4 is?

  • "Do you know…?"

    Do you know what time it closes?

  • "Would you mind + -ing?"

    Would you mind repeating that?

  • "I was wondering if…"

    I was wondering if you had a moment.

Clarifying & checking

Make sure you've understood — without saying 'What?'.

4 phrases

  • "Sorry, do you mean…?"

    Sorry, do you mean Monday next week or this week?

  • "Just to check, …"

    Just to check, that's £40 each, right?

  • "So what you're saying is…"

    So what you're saying is we should leave earlier.

  • "Could you say that again?"

    Could you say that again — I missed the last part.

Giving opinions

Share what you think clearly and naturally.

5 phrases

  • "On the whole, I think…"

    On the whole, I think remote work suits me better.

  • "In my view, …"

    In my view, schools should teach financial literacy.

  • "If you ask me, …"

    If you ask me, it's not worth the money.

  • "To be honest, …"

    To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the film.

  • "I'd say (that)…"

    I'd say that's the best one.

Hedging & diplomacy

Soften strong opinions, disagree politely, sound less abrupt.

4 phrases

  • "It might be worth + -ing"

    It might be worth checking the schedule first.

  • "I'd probably…"

    I'd probably go for the smaller one.

  • "I'm not entirely sure, but…"

    I'm not entirely sure, but I think it closes at 6.

  • "That's a fair point, although…"

    That's a fair point, although there's another side to it.

Reactions & follow-ups

Keep conversations alive instead of letting them die.

5 phrases

  • "Oh really? / No way!"

    A: I quit my job. — B: No way! When?

  • "Have you? / Did you? / Are you?"

    A: I've moved to Lisbon. — B: Have you?! How is it?

  • "How come?"

    How come you decided to do that?

  • "What's that like?"

    What's that like — working remotely full-time?

  • "How about you?"

    I love thrillers. How about you?

Storytelling & anecdotes

Hold attention when you tell a story or share news.

5 phrases

  • "You'll never guess what happened."

    You'll never guess what happened on the way here.

  • "So basically, …"

    So basically, we missed the train by 30 seconds.

  • "All of a sudden, …"

    All of a sudden, the lights went out.

  • "Long story short, …"

    Long story short, we ended up driving instead.

  • "Anyway, …"

    Anyway, that's how I met your dad.

Suggesting & negotiating

Make plans, propose solutions, find middle ground.

5 phrases

  • "Why don't we…?"

    Why don't we meet halfway?

  • "How about + -ing?"

    How about going to the Thai place?

  • "Shall we…?"

    Shall we say 7pm then?

  • "Would it work if…?"

    Would it work if we pushed it to Friday?

  • "I'm easy / I don't mind."

    I'm easy — whatever suits you.