Disagreeing

I’m no expert on this, but...

This page lists useful expressions for the language function of disagreeing.

Elementary

1. I understand what you are saying, but...
2. That’s a good point, but...
3. You could be right, but...

Pre-intermediate

1. (But) don’t you think that...?
2. (But) what about...?
3. I don’t really agree.
4. I read something about this and...
5. I used to think that (way)..., but...
6. I’d like to agree (with you), but...
7. That doesn’t really make sense (to me).
8. You could say that, but...

Intermediate

1. (But) don’t you feel that...?
2. ... thinks/ says that too, but...
3. Have you also thought about...?
4. I (initially) thought that way too, but...
5. I agree up to a point, but...
6. I don’t know as much about this as you, but...
7. I have (very) limited experience of this, but...
8. I heard/ learnt/ read that too, but...
9. I’m no expert on this, but...
10. It’s difficult to argue with that, but...
11. Many people would agree with you, but...
12. That is a common belief, but...
13. The (vast) majority of experts/ researchers agree (with me) that...
14. You could well be right, but...

Upper-intermediate

1. (But) didn’t you say...?
2. (But) wouldn’t you say that...?
3. (That sounds good) in theory, but...
4. ... (but) in reality,...
5. Although it’s difficult to argue with that,...
6. I can see a hole in that argument.
7. I thought we’d (already) agreed...
8. I wish that was the case, but...
9. I’m more convinced by...
10. If everyone thought that way,...
11. If that were the case,...
12. My reply to that would be...
13. Not in my experience. ...
14. That all makes sense, apart from...
15. That is a common misconception.
16. That might well be the case, but...
17. That’s not the way I see it (at all).
18. The hole in that argument is...
19. The problem with that argument is...
20. There’s a lot of truth in that, but...
21. Well, you know more about this than me, but...
22. You haven’t convinced me.
23. You may think that, but...

Advanced

1. (But) aren’t you forgetting...?
2. Although it is difficult to see a hole in that argument, ...
3. Aren’t you assuming that...?
4. Aren’t you jumping to conclusions?
5. Doesn’t that opinion mean that...?
6. Have you taken... into consideration?
7. I can see how you might think that, but...
8. I can see where you are coming from, but...
9. I don’t think you’ve taken... into consideration.
10. I hold the opposing view (that...)
11. I might/ would have thought that way too if...
12. I think you might be forgetting...
13. I was with you until you said...
14. I would (still) argue that...
15. I wouldn’t (quite) put it that way myself.
16. I’d go along with that up to a point, but...
17. I’m going to need some persuading.
18. I’m not following your logic (there).
19. My initial reply to that would be...
20. My point was...
21. That belief is based on...
22. That does (seem to) match the evidence, but...
23. That doesn’t tally with the information I have.
24. That made (perfect) sense up to the point you said...
25. That sounds plausible, but...
26. That view is somewhat old fashioned.
27. The (inherent) contradiction in that argument is...
28. The (logical) conclusion of what you are saying is...
29. The (obvious) response to that is...
30. There is a (little) nugget of truth in that, but...
31. We don’t seem to be in complete agreement here.
32. You don’t seem to have addressed my point that...
33. You might have convinced me if...
34. You seem to be starting from false assumptions.
35. Your experience must be very different from mine.