Are you using the expression 'me too' too often in your daily conversations?
Sometimes, that's actually the wrong expression.
And, sometimes you can find a better alternative.
Make sure you watch the lesson till the end, where you will discover an amusing common mistake.
A quick reminder that there are lots of free exercises on my online course for you to enjoy.
You can access these by creating a free account on my website,
Anglo-Link.com.
The link to set up your free account is in the description box.
Okay! Let's start by looking at an example of when we say 'me too'.
So, someone has said to you:
I'm interested in antique furniture.
And, you're also interested in antique furniture.
You can simply say:
Me too.
Now, you may very occasionally hear:
I too.
That's very formal.
It's grammatically correct. But, it's very formal. I would avoid that.
Just stick with 'me too'.
Now, let's look at some alternatives.
One good one is:
Same here.
It's simple, and it works every time.
But, two things that you must absolutely avoid is using 'also' and 'as well' in this expression.
Although, they're synonyms for 'too', they don't fit here.
So, don't say:
Me also
And don't say:
Me as well
Right! Let's look at two more alternatives.
These are short sentences that you create using the verb in the original sentence.
Now, here the verb is 'am'. So, we use that:
I'm interested in antique furniture.
I am too.
Or:
So am I.
Now, notice that if you start with 'so', we need a subject verb inversion.
We have to swap 'am' and 'I':
So am I.
Now! A common mistake that I hear some of my students make,
is sticking with the verb 'am'.
no matter what the original sentence is, they say:
Oh! I am too.
Or:
So am I.
Now, be careful because this has to follow the original sentence.
So, for example, if someone says:
I like antique furniture.
We're using the Present Simple tense.
We need to use the auxiliary of the Present Simple tense.
So, don't say:
I am to.
You have to say:
I do too.
Or:
So do I.
And! If we change the tense, obviously we need to change the auxiliary.
So, if someone said:
I used to like antique furniture.
You need to say:
I did too.
Or:
So did I.
Now, what about negative statements?
For example, someone says:
I don't like antique furniture.
What you must avoid here is using 'too'.
'Too' doesn't work with a negative sentence.
You have to switch to 'neither'.
I don't like antique furniture.
Me neither.
Interestingly, and happily, 'same here' works here too.
'Same here' is very versatile.
It works with positive sentences and negative sentences.
Let's look at the other alternatives.
I don't like antique furniture.
I don't.
You can't use too.
The word you need to use here is 'either'.
I don't either.
And, if you want to use the inversion, then use 'neither'.
Neither do I.
And, if we change the tense, obviously, the same thing:
I didn't used to like antique furniture.
I didn't either.
Or:
Neither did I.
Now! a little word about negative words.
For example, 'never', 'hardly', 'no longer'. Let's look at some examples:
I've never bought any antique furniture.
Now, you see that the verb is positive: 'I have'.
But, the sentence, the idea is negative because of 'never'.
Make sure you follow with the negative expression.
So, don't use 'too' or 'so'.
Say:
Me neither.
Or:
I haven't either.
Or:
Neither have I.
Let's look at an example with 'hardly'.
I can hardly see the road.
Me neither.
I can't either.
Neither can I.
And, a final example with 'no longer'.
John no longer works here.
Linda neither.
Linda doesn't either.
Neither does Linda.
And, there is one other word I want to mention here, and that's the word 'nor.
'Nor' can replace 'neither' in an inverted phrase.
But, it sounds a little bit more formal.
So, you may hear and if you're in a formal situation, you can say:
Nor did I.
Nor does she.
Nor would they.
Now! I'd like to share an amusing common mistake with you.
If someone says to you:
I love you!
I've often heard the other person by mistake saying:
Me too.
I do too.
So do I.
Obviously, this means I love myself too.
I don't think that's what you want to say.
In this situation, avoid these expressions!
You have to repeat the sentence. You have to say:
I love you too.
Now, there are a couple of other situations that you need to be careful of.
Same type of situation. If someone says:
I'm happy to see you.
Don't say: Me too.
Because it means I'm happy to see myself, right? That doesn't work.
You either have to repeat the sentence.
Maybe you can change the vocabulary a little bit. Say:
It's good to see you too.
Or use this very useful expression:
Likewise.
That reciprocates whatever nice thing they have said to you.
And the last example.
Someone wishes you a lovely day:
Have a lovely day.
Here, simply say:
You too!
You are sending the same wish back to them in this way.
Well, that's the end of my conversation tips for today.
You'll find more conversation tips in this playlist.
Also, make sure you check out my online course for lots of exercises on all the topics that I teach.
And, please remember to like, subscribe, and allow notifications as well.
Thanks a lot for watching. I look forward to seeing you in my next lesson very soon.
Goodbye for now.