Welcome! This short lesson focuses on gentle phrases to disagree or suggest alternatives without sounding rude. Have fun trying them out aloud — they work like social glue.
Level B1: In Lesson 83 you'll practice polite disagreement and softening phrases used in everyday professional and social talk. We'll work with four useful frames that help you suggest another perspective (別の見方もできませんか？, Betsu no mikata mo dekimasen ka?) or gently question a statement (それはいつもそうでしょうか。, Sore wa itsumo sō deshō ka.). This CEFR-aligned mini-lesson gives listening, practice quizzes, and short speaking prompts.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
Recognize and use four polite softening phrases for disagreement and alternatives (B1).
Practice saying these phrases aloud with correct politeness and rhythm.
Use the frames to suggest alternatives, question generalizations, and introduce a polite counterpoint.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
別の見方もできませんか？
Betsu no mikata mo dekimasen ka?
Could there be another way to look at it?
Meaning: Could there be another way to look at it?
When to use: 直接反対せず、別の考え方を提案するときに使います。さらにやわらかく言うなら「別の見方もできるかもしれませんね。」。
別の見方もできませんか？数字だけで判断しないほうがいいと思います。
Betsu no mikata mo dekimasen ka? Sūji dake de handan shinai hō ga ii to omoimasu.
Could there be another way to look at it? I think we shouldn't judge only by the numbers.
この問題は別の見方もできませんか？他の要因を検討しましょう。
Kono mondai wa betsu no mikata mo dekimasen ka? Hoka no yōin o kentō shimashō.
Could we look at this problem another way? Let's consider other factors.
それはいつもそうでしょうか。
Sore wa itsumo sō deshō ka.
I wonder if that's always true.
Meaning: I wonder if that's always true.
When to use: 相手の言ったことがいつも当てはまるか、丁寧に疑問を出す表現です。
それはいつもそうでしょうか。時間帯によって傾向が違うはずです。
Sore wa itsumo sō deshō ka. Jikantai ni yotte keikō ga chigau hazu desu.
I wonder if that's always true. Patterns should differ by time of day.
お客様はいつもそうでしょうか。地域差もあるかもしれません。
O-kyaku-san wa itsumo sō deshō ka. Chiiki-sa mo aru kamoshiremasen.
I wonder if customers are always like that. There may be regional differences.
___かもしれないと思いませんか？
___ kamoshirenai to omoimasen ka?
Don't you think it might be ___?
Meaning: Don't you think it might be ___?
When to use: ___には可能性として示したい内容を入れます。動詞・い形容詞は普通形、名詞やな形容詞は「問題かもしれない」「大切かもしれない」のように続けます。
