So / Neither / Too – How to agree in English

Me Too / Me Neither

The easiest way to agree in English is to say “Me too” (to agree with a positive statement) or “Me neither” (to agree with a negative statement):

• “I love strawberry ice cream.”
  “Me too!”
• “I don’t go to the gym very often.”
  “Me neither.”

What is a “negative statement”?

A “negative statement” is any sentence that uses a negative auxiliary verb:

• don’t / doesn’t / didn’t
• can’t
• haven’t / hasn’t / hadn’t
• won’t / wouldn’t
• isn’t / aren’t / am not
• never

You can say “Me too” or “Me neither” in response to statements in any tense (present, past, future, present continuous, present perfect, past perfect, etc.)

• “I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately.”
  “Me too.”
• “I haven’t seen the new movie yet.”
  “Me neither.” 
• “I’m going to the beach tomorrow.”
  “Me too!”
• “I can’t draw very well.”
  “Me neither.” 

So do I / Neither do I

You can say “So do I” and “Neither do I” to respond to simple present sentences.

• “I always sleep late on the weekends.”
  “So do I.”
• “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
  “Neither do I.”

So am I / Neither am I

You can say “So am I” and “Neither am I” to respond to simple present sentences with the verb “BE” or present continuous sentences.

• “I’m from Moscow.”
  “So am I!”
• “I’m not very outgoing.”
  “Neither am I.”
• “I’m studying for the test next week.”
  “So am I.” 

So did I / Neither did I

You can say “So did I” and “Neither did I” to respond to simple past sentences.

• “I studied chemistry in college.”
  “So did I.”
• “I didn’t like broccoli when I was a kid.”
  “Neither did I.”

So was I / Neither was I

You can say “So was I” and “Neither was I” to respond to simple past sentences with the verb BE or past continuous sentences.

• “I was very athletic when I was in high school.”
  “So was I.”
• “I wasn’t happy about the new company policy.”
  “Neither was I.”

So have I / Neither have I

You can say “So have I” and “Neither have I” to respond to present perfect sentences and present perfect continuous sentences.

• “I’ve been married for over 20 years.”
  “So have I.”
• “I haven’t had much free time this week.”
  “Neither have I.”
• “I’ve been thinking about learning a new language.”
  “So have I.”
• “I haven’t been feeling well lately.”
  “Neither have I.”

So can I / Neither can I

You can say “So can I” and “Neither can I” to respond to sentences with “can” and “can’t.”

• “I can run a mile in six minutes.”
  “So can I.”
• “I can’t sing very well.”
  “Neither can I.”

So will I / Neither will I

You can say “So will I” and “Neither will I” to respond to sentences with “will” and “won’t.”

• “I’ll be in the office until 8 PM today.”
  “So will I.”
• “I won’t be able to go on the trip.”
  “Neither will I.”

So would I / Neither would I

You can say “So would I” and “Neither would I” to respond to sentences with “would” and “wouldn’t.”

• “I’d like to learn how to cook.”
  “So would I.”
• “I wouldn’t recommend that restaurant.”
  “Neither would I.”

The General Rule

As you can see from the examples, the general rule for “So… I” and “Neither… I” is that the verb matches the verb tense used in the original sentence. Try the quiz below to test your understanding!

Image sources: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Learn more: How to disagree in English