Presenting an argument in Mandarin

Discussing your opinions is a great way to get interesting, challenging language practice.

Whilst the phrases listed here are primarily spoken forms, they would also work well in online discussions (but don’t get your hopes up for a revolutionary online politics debate in Chinese - better stick to discussing which character on Xi Yang Yang is the best).

Expressing disagreement

我恐怕不同意。 Wǒ kǒngpà bùtóngyì. I’m afraid I disagree.

我不是完全同意。 Wǒ búshì wánquán tóngyì. I don’t totally agree.

我明白你说的，但是… Wǒ míngbai nǐ shuōde, dànshì… I understand what you’re saying, but…

它有点儿牵强，对吗？ Tā yǒudiǎnr qiānqiáng, duì ma? That’s a bit far-fetched, isn’t it?

你可能是对的，但 Nǐ kěnéng shì duìde, dàn… You might be right, but…

我认为这是有争议的。 Wǒ rènwéi zhè shì yǒuzhēngyìde. I think that’s debatable.

可能，但是对我来说… Kěnéng, dànshì duì wǒ láishuō… Maybe, but it seems to me that…

我一定程度上同意，但… Wǒ yīdìng chéngdù shàng tóngyì, dàn… I certainly agree to some extent, but…

是的，尽管如此，但另一方面… Shìde, jǐnguǎn rúcǐ, dàn lìng yī fāngmiàn… Yes, although on the other hand…

Expressing agreement

(A fun challenge: see if you can use these phrases as much as the ones above.)

我非常同意。 Wǒ fēicháng tóngyì. I very much agree.

我同意，因为… Wǒ tóngyì, yīnwèi… I agree, because…

我认为你绝对正确。 Wǒ rènwéi nǐ juéduì zhèngquè. I think you’re absolutely right.

总的来说，我认为这个观点是正确的。 Zǒngdeláishuō, wǒ rènwéi zhège guāndiǎn shì zhèngquède. On the whole, I think those arguments are fair.

一点也不错！ Yīdiǎn yě bù cuò! Flawless!

我完全支持你说的。 Wǒ wánquán zhīchí nǐ shuōde. I fully support what you say.

我完全同意。 Wǒ wánquán tóngyì. I totally agree.

正是！ Zhèng shì! Exactly!

这是个非常好的观点。 Zhè shì ge fēicháng hǎo de guāndiǎn. That’s a very good point.

完全正确！ Wánquán zhèngquè! That’s completely correct!

Found these useful? Got some more useful phrases? Please share all in the comments.