English has specific short forms for agreeing and disagreeing with statements — "So do I", "Neither do I", "Me too". These short responses depend on whether the original statement is positive or negative and whether it uses an auxiliary verb or a main verb. Getting them right makes your conversation sound natural and fluent.
When someone says something positive, you can agree using: "So + auxiliary + subject" (formal), "Subject + auxiliary + too", "Me too" (informal), or "Same." The auxiliary must match the tense and verb type of the original statement. For modal verbs and "be": "So am I", "So should I". For other verbs: "So do I", "So did I".
Practice
"I love Italian food." — "___ my sister."
"I'm really tired today." — "SoI. It's been a long week."
Put the words in the correct order:
When someone says something negative, you can agree using: "Neither + auxiliary + subject" (formal), "Me neither" (informal), "Nor do I", or "Same." Never say "So don't I" to agree with a negative statement — that is a common error. "Neither" is for agreeing with something negative.
Practice
"I don't like horror films." — "___ I."
"She can't swim." — "Neitherher brother."
Put the words in the correct order to agree with: "I haven't seen that film yet."
To disagree with a positive statement, use the negative auxiliary: "I don't", "I'm not", "I can't". To disagree with a negative statement, use the positive auxiliary: "I do", "I am", "I can". Keep it short and match the tense. Adding "actually" softens the disagreement in conversation.
Practice
"I love classical music." — "___ (disagreeing). I find it boring."
"I'm not ready yet." — "Actually,— I was just waiting for you."
Respond to disagree with: "We can't afford to travel this year."