Do you ever struggle with knowing the right way to agree with someone in English? Whether to say “me too” or “so do I” can be tricky, especially when negative sentences or different verb tenses are involved.
This guide will help you navigate the rules of agreement so you can speak more naturally and confidently.
Part 1: The Basics — “Me Too” and “Me Neither”
The simplest way to agree is to use these two expressions, which remain the same regardless of the verb or tense.
- Positive Statements: Use “me too” when agreeing with a positive sentence.
- Friend: “I like traveling.” — You: “Me too”.
- Negative Statements: Use “me neither” when agreeing with a negative sentence.
- Friend: “I don’t like rain.” — You: “Me neither”.
Key Rule: Remember that “me too” and “me neither” are flexible and do not change form based on the grammar of the sentence.
Part 2: Agreement Using Auxiliary Verbs
When you want to be more specific, you must match the auxiliary verb (the “helping” verb) used in the original sentence.
If there is no visible auxiliary:
When a sentence doesn’t show a helper, it often uses the hidden auxiliary “do”.
- Positive: “I like pizza.” — “I do too” or “So do I”.
- Negative: “I don’t like pizza.” — “I don’t either” or “Neither do I”.
If there IS a visible auxiliary:
You must use that same auxiliary in your response.
| Auxiliary in Sentence | Positive Agreement | Negative Agreement |
| Will | “I will too” / “So will I” | “I won’t either” / “Neither will I” |
| Can | “I can too” / “So can I” | “I can’t either” / “Neither can I” |
| To Be (am/is/are) | “I am too” / “So am I” | “I’m not either” / “Neither am I” |
| Have (present perfect) | “I have too” / “So have I” | “I haven’t either” / “Neither have I” |
| Past Simple (did) | “I did too” / “So did I” | “I didn’t either” / “Neither did I” |
Note: For past simple verbs like “liked,” the hidden auxiliary is “did”.
Part 3: The “Magic” Expression
If the rules above feel overwhelming, there is a secret weapon that simplifies everything.
Use the phrase: “Same here.”
“Same here” is a universal agreement expression. It works for:
- Use the phrase: “Same here.”
- “Same here” is a universal agreement expression.
- It works for positive sentences (e.g., “I can speak English.” $\rightarrow$ “Same here.”).
- It works for negative sentences (e.g., “I didn’t go to the party.” $\rightarrow$ “Same here.”).
- For all auxiliary verbs, it replaces the need to remember specific forms like “so am I” or “neither can I”.
When in doubt, “same here” is your best friend to keep the conversation flowing smoothly!

Comments are closed for this post.