AEE: 100 Percent or Fair Enough? Words to Show Agreement or Acceptance

This is an All Ears English podcast. 100% or fair enough. Words to show agreement or acceptance. Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times.

Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe.

When you want to agree with someone you have some options. The word you choose can set the tone for a conversation or even a friendship. Listen in for details today.

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Hello, Michelle. How's it going today? Good, good. Lindsay, you know, I've been getting so many more phone calls lately, but I'd much rather receive texts than phone calls.

Fair enough. I mean, it's so much more efficient. Yeah. Is that you? Is that how you feel? Would you rather receive texts? think overall yes um but i do it is there is something refreshing about when somebody just picks up the phone the phone calls you like i will definitely have i i mean my friend just called me yesterday because sometimes i like if i know that if somebody's calling me i think i'm more likely to pick it up than i the speed at which i will answer a text

yeah that's probably true and it feels like what's wrong yeah what's wrong is everything okay it feels very quaint to call people right it feels very quaint very uh old-fashioned in a way but kind of genuine right actually i think i have a good follow-up a good episode to compliment this because there is sometimes what you what do you say to someone when you call them and you usually are texting and And like, how do you kind of introduce, you know, a lot of times we'll say, Oh, I just thought it would be easier. You know, things like that. You do have to kind of say something now.

Yeah. Right. It's like, you have to give an excuse for why did you call? It's really funny. Everything has changed so much. I mean, I know it's only been what, maybe 20 years since we've had texting and really maybe 10 since we've had good texting.

It's just crazy how much texting has changed or the way we communicate entirely. Yeah. Is that what we're talking about today, Michelle? What are we getting into?

No. No. not at all but we're talking about we're talking about uh these expressions because we had a listener question um came to us on youtube from uh nguk finn hue um and lindsey would you like to read the question i would love to so again don't guys don't forget that we have a youtube channel it is thriving lots of subscribers over there if you prefer to watch this episode which you can we are here on video michelle and i you can watch us over on youtube so if you want to do that go to youtube type in all ears english podcast and we will come up you will see the bright yellow and that is us all right here's the question so uh new york says i'm a daily listener and i usually repeat each episode for about a week

That's great. That's smart. Even though I still feel a bit hesitant when speaking, I get really excited when I recognize your expressions in real conversations. It makes me feel like I'm making progress.

Beautiful. That's so nice. And you know what? That's what happens. You hear something and then all of a sudden you hear it out in the world everywhere, right?

Yes. Yes, 100%. That is the feedback loop that we want to stay motivated, right? This episode on agreeing was very helpful. I often hear phrases like, fair enough, 100%, positive, sweet, cool, exactly, or lovely.

Are there subtle differences in how these are used? Are some more casual or situational than others? Also, do you have any favorite alternatives to just saying yes or correct when agreeing naturally? Thanks so much for your great work.

Great question. Thank you so much. So this is really a two-part question. So we're going to answer the first question today and we can do the second in a future episode.

But today we're going to dive into the different meanings and uses of phrases like fair enough, which we said in the beginning about texting, 100%, positive, sweet, cool, or lovely. And these are all... words or phrases that you will hear in casual conversation. And they're really good for connection because they show you agree or you accept or you understand what someone just said.

Yeah. And some of them are more trendy than others right now. Like 100% I think is pretty trendy right now. What do you think, Michelle? Yeah. Oh yeah.

100%. Yeah. This is going to be a fun episode because it's going to be so incredibly relevant for our listeners. But guys, before we go any further, if you are more of a podcast listener and you're listening, that's what I am.

I'm an audio person, right? I listen to Apple Podcasts personally, but you might listen to Spotify. You might listen to CastBox. Wherever you listen, hit the follow button right there on your podcast player.

So we drop into your queue five days a week. Right. Good. Yes. So we have done similar episodes before. I'm just going to give you a couple. But we still wanted to focus in on this listener's question.

So we did an episode on agreeing. So that was 2555. Capture the connection when you agree with someone in English. So here we already talk about exactly.

So we're going to skip that word. Good. And then that's also kind of the most standard one. And so we're going to give some better alternatives today.

Right. Right. And then we have the word correct. That was business English. So if you're not listening to the business English podcast, head on over there, hit follow.

But episode 551, that was a clean and clear way to say someone is right in English. So definitely check those out. So But what do today's words mean that our listener asked about, Lindsay?

So today's words, this is great. So the first one, fair enough. Or sometimes I hear people just saying fair, right? Do you hear that too, Michelle? Yeah.

Or that's fair. That's fair. There are variations of this. Fair enough. That's fair. Fair. Right. It means that I understand and I accept your point. I'm hearing what you're saying.

It might not be my opinion, right? You're not saying I agree. Right. Totally. Okay. Okay. So let's do a quick example. Yeah. Um, I think I'll leave early today.

I'm beat. Fair enough. It's been a long day. So here, depending on what I say after fair enough, maybe I do agree, but it's not necessarily, I think the same thing is just saying like, I hear what you're saying.

Right. It's kind of like that's understandable. Yeah. Right. Yes. That's fair. Right. That's fair. Yeah. And then there's 100%, which we mentioned is strong agreement.

So this one is very enthusiastic. And yeah, you'll hear this a lot. So I think we all need more sleep. 100%. So here it is agreeing. I feel the same way as you, right?

Yes. Yes, exactly. And then I like this next one. Sweet. Yeah. This one's a little different. I'm not sure if it belongs in the same category of agreeing, but it's a way of just responding positively, right?

Yeah. So it just means that's good or it just means great, right? Or it could in this role play, it kind of means like I accept. Right. Yeah. So let's try a real quick.

I can pick you up on the way to the dinner. Sweet. Thanks. So yeah, here I am accepting. I'm accepting a ride. I'll be waiting up front. Right. And I'm very excited that you're coming to pick me up.

Right. Yes. Yes. So what's the next one? Cool. Now this is so, so rampant in American English. Cool. I mean, how many times a day do you think you say this, Michelle?

I mean, I say it all the time. A lot. I'd be curious to go through our transcripts and see. This means okay, sounds good, or I accept, right? It's very casual.

And you are basically acknowledging info or accepting plans in this context, right? So for example, let's meet on, let's meet outside the cafe. Cool. See you there.

And then lovely sounds more British English to me. I think British people will use this a lot more than American people. I will say that. What do you think?

I mean, you studied in London. Yeah, I would say that you might hear it more over there. I think that I use lovely when I'm being sarcastic. Yes. I might be like, well, that's lovely.

Yes, that might be the American usage is actually sarcasm. Right? Do you do that too? Not as much, but I've heard you do it and I get it. It makes sense.

It's your style. Yeah. No, no. Like your kid spills milk all over the place. You might say quietly. That's lovely. You're about to walk out the door. The dog goes to the bathroom on the floor or something like that.

Right? Yeah. It's true. But this is how you might hear it genuinely. All right. I made us some tea. Lovely. That sounds perfect. Yeah. And I really think that is a British expression.

Maybe some Americans use it, but I think that one is pretty British for that genuine usage of it. Right. British. Yep. Yep. And then finally, we have positive.

Now, I love this one. I don't say it all the time, but it makes me think of the movie My Cousin Vinny. Okay. Because he always says, Are you sure? And she goes, I'm positive.

Yeah. Yeah, very, very common. And I use this all the time in that context, right? So for example, are you sure that the store is closed today, Michelle?

positive, right? Or I'm positive or just positive. Yeah. So this just solid, solidly confirms information. So it's more of a transaction. It's not as warm or friendly or just like I'm positive, you know?

Yes. Yes, exactly. Good. So we're gonna take a quick break and then we're gonna come back and check out a few more explanations here. Okay. Quick reminder, the doors to our B2 English fluency course are closing tonight.

This is your last chance to save $50 on basic or $100 on personal coach. If you are tired of translating in your head, if you're tired of hesitating before speaking, If you're tired of feeling like your English doesn't reflect your true intelligence, now is the time to change that. Inside the course, you'll get a proven system, AI speaking practice, live conversation opportunities, and the support you need to finally move beyond the B2 plateau.

But in just a few hours, this offer disappears. Go now to allearsenglish.com slash B2. That's allearsenglish.com slash letter B number two. All right, so the reader also, the listener also asked if these words are situational, and of course they are, right?

So we're gonna break these down into different types of situations, into buckets so our listeners can remember a bit better, right? Yes. All right, so we have calm acceptance.

So that would be words like fair enough and cool. So calm acceptance. Like we said before, it's not necessarily agreeing strongly. We'll talk about strong agreement again in a minute, but it's calmly saying, I hear you.

Okay. Yeah. I'm like, yeah, I'm recognizing what you're saying. So for example, the weather is terrible. Can we take a rain check? Oh, fair enough. I wouldn't want to drive in this either.

Good. Okay. Or, hey, I'll be leaving around one. Cool. Just let me know when you get close. Okay. Yeah. So calm acceptance. All right. Cool, calm, collected.

I like that. Good personality trait. Yes. Now let's bump it up a notch and move to strong agreement. And that is 100%, right? So very enthusiastic. So being outside really puts me in a better mood.

100%. And this kind of makes me, makes me think, I think a lot of other cultures in the world, maybe even like English speaking cultures might think that Americans are overly enthusiastic or overly, I guess, sarcastic and enthusiastic the way we speak. And it might be true. We're a little over the top at times.

100%. Yeah, it makes me think of, I remember once I was with my brother years ago, and I never forgot it because it's so funny. We ran into a girl that he went to high school with, and she was so super nice and so super friendly. And then my brother said to me afterwards, like, oh, she's so enthusiastic about everything.

Like, you could be like, I have a cell phone. And she'll be like, wow. Yeah. Yeah, it's so funny. I wonder why that is that, you know, I mean, obviously, not everyone is the same in the US.

We're a huge country with so many different personalities. But I think when people think about Americans, this is one of the things that they think about, like a little too intense, like too over the top, too much.

Maybe this will have to be our poll for today. I'm curious if that's the impression you get of Americans to be a good one. And then there's always room for a warm and happy reaction. Michelle, what would that be?

That would be sweet, lovely, cool. So I'll heat up those leftovers for you. Sweet. Thanks. Right. So we're not going to getting too excited, but we're definitely that makes us happy.

Someone's going to heat up leftovers for us. That's good. Right. And then positive is and then clear confirmation of info is which one, Michelle? Yeah, that's positive.

So that's more transactional. Yeah. So you sent the email to my new address, right? Positive. Yes. And I would probably add there, often it's in conjunction with, are you sure I'm positive?

Like that's a really common chunk that we highlighted earlier, which is where I see the phrase I'm positive or positive more often, to be honest. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I mean, I guess if you were really emphasizing like to my new address, right?

Yeah. Like and it was like very clear that you meant not the old one. You were worried about it. But yeah, I see what you're saying. It is more of like the sense of like, are you sure that this is open?

Are you sure that, you know, we can pick this up later? Something like that. I would hear it more like that. Yeah. So let's go into a role play, Michelle.

So here we are new friends and we have plans to meet for coffee, but we need to reschedule here. So it's a delicate balance when someone new, you don't want them to think you don't like them anymore, right? And that you don't want to see them. So we have to negotiate this, right?

Yes. So can we grab coffee tomorrow instead of today? I'm just so swamped at work. Fair enough. Tomorrow actually works better. Cool. We could try that new cafe by our house.

Sweet. I've been wanting to go there. And are you okay if I bring my dog? Oh, 100%. I love animals. Lovely. I can't wait. Yeah. Always double check that your friend, new friend likes dogs, likes animals.

Well, it is okay with that, you know, because not everyone, some people are afraid of dogs. Yeah. Um, yeah, I got to be careful there for sure. Uh, so Michelle, shall we break it down?

All right. Yeah. So, uh, you said, can we grab coffee tomorrow instead of today? I'm swamped at work. And I said, fair enough. Tomorrow actually works better.

And then I said, cool. So that's that we said, cool was the warm and happy reaction, right? It's warm for sure. We could try that new cafe by our house.

And you said, sweet. Yeah. That's again, also the warm and happy reaction, right? And then you said, and are you okay if I bring the dog? And that's where I really got excited.

So you are a dog person. Yeah. So here you can tell I really love dogs. So I said 100%. I love animals. Nice. And then I said, lovely. I can't wait. Right.

And that was, again, in the bucket of warm and happy reactions. More likely to be heard in England than here. But if it's in your personality, go for it. Right.

Go for it. Yes, exactly. So, Lindsay, takeaways for today. Takeaways for today. It matters how you respond. It sets the tone for everything. When someone says something like, is it OK if I bring my dog?

The way you react, not just the words you use, but your tone of voice says a lot about are we going to be friends or not? right? Yeah, because certain things about people could tell you more about someone else too, right? And so there's a lot here in terms of connection just in word choice and tone of voice.

Yes, exactly. Love it. So yeah, Lindsay, I think we're good for today. And is that cool with you? That's cool with me. That's cool with me, Michelle. Sounds good.

I'll see you next time. All right. Bye. Bye, guys. All right. Bye. See you next time.