Everyday English · CEFR B2 · Confident

I see what you mean, but… — Everyday english

English disagrees by agreeing first and then turning. A flat "no, you are wrong" reads as much ruder in English than its Hindi equivalent.

The shape

I see your point, but… · I am not sure I agree…

Disagree at work without causing offence.

In Hindi

अंग्रेज़ी पहले सहमति दिखाकर फिर मुड़ती है। सीधा "नहीं, आप ग़लत हैं" यहाँ बहुत रूखा लगता है।

CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.

The mistake to fix first

The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.

Commonly said	Correct English
No, it is wrong. My idea is correct.	I see your point, but I think there may be another way. A softening phrase before the disagreement is what makes it acceptable at work.

Commonly said

Correct English

No, it is wrong. My idea is correct.

I see your point, but I think there may be another way.

A softening phrase before the disagreement is what makes it acceptable at work.

Easy to confuse with

Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.

Questions people ask

What is the i see what you mean, but… used for?: English disagrees by agreeing first and then turning. A flat "no, you are wrong" reads as much ruder in English than its Hindi equivalent. In practice: disagree at work without causing offence.
How do you form the i see what you mean, but…?: I see your point, but… · I am not sure I agree….
What is the most common mistake with the i see what you mean, but…?: Saying “No, it is wrong. My idea is correct.” instead of “I see your point, but I think there may be another way.”. A softening phrase before the disagreement is what makes it acceptable at work.

Where i see what you mean, but… fits

Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.

I see what you mean, but… is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to everyday english. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.

Practise the i see what you mean, but… →

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