Useful Language — Proposing & Disagreeing

The functional language you’ll actually use when proposing ideas and disagreeing politely in a real meeting.

Tap the icon beside any phrase to hear it. Work through one step at a time — open a box, say the phrases out loud, then move on.

💡 Step 1 — Proposing an idea

“I’d like to suggest that we…”Soft, professional opener
“What if we tried…?”Casual, invites discussion
“One option could be to…”Presents it as one possibility, not a demand
“Have we considered…?”Polite way to bring up a new idea

🤝 Step 2 — Agreeing

“That makes sense to me.”
“I’m on board with that.”
“Good point — I hadn’t thought of that.”

⚖️ Step 3 — Disagreeing politely

“I see your point, but I’m not sure that would work because…”Acknowledge, then disagree
“I have a slightly different view…”Softer than “I disagree”
“That’s one way to look at it — another option might be…”
“Could we also think about…?”Redirects without rejecting

❓ Step 4 — Asking for clarification

“Sorry, could you say that again?”
“When you say… what exactly do you mean?”
“Just to make sure I understand — are you saying…?”

Listen: the language in action

Two colleagues plan how to meet a deadline. Press play and follow along — the line being spoken is highlighted. Tap any line to jump to it. The highlighted parts are useful phrases you can reuse.

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Paul: So, the client wants the report by Friday, and we’re two days behind. We need a plan.

Nadia: I’d like to suggest that we split the report in two — I take the data, you take the summary.

Paul: When you say the data, what exactly do you mean? All the numbers, or just last quarter?

Nadia: Just last quarter. The older figures are already in the appendix.

Paul: That makes sense to me. But I have a slightly different view on the deadline — Friday still feels tight.

Nadia: Could we also think about asking the client for one extra day?

Paul: What if we tried sending the summary on Friday and the data on Monday?

Nadia: Good point — I hadn’t thought of that. They mainly need the summary for the board.

Paul: Just to make sure I understand — are you saying we can send it in two parts?

Nadia: Exactly. I’ll write to them this afternoon and confirm.