Welcome to today’s English grammar lesson! We’re going to explore a super useful and surprisingly easy way to agree with someone in English using ‘neither’ and ‘so do I’. If you’re at a B1 level and want to sound more natural and confident in your English conversations, especially in spoken English, then you’re in the right place! We’ll break down exactly how to use these phrases so you can start using them immediately. Let’s dive in and improve your English grammar together!

What are ‘Neither / So do I’ and Why Learn Them?

Imagine you’re chatting with a friend. They say, “I love pizza!” You also love pizza! Instead of just saying “Me too,” you can sound more fluent and natural by saying, “So do I!” Similarly, if your friend says, “I don’t like Mondays,” and you agree, you can say, “Neither do I!” or “Nor do I!”

These short phrases, ‘so do I‘ and ‘neither/nor do I‘, are fantastic tools for agreeing in English. They are short responses that show agreement without repeating the whole sentence. Learning to use them correctly will make your spoken English smoother and more sophisticated. Plus, understanding this grammar point will significantly improve your comprehension when listening to native English speakers.

This lesson will focus on practical usage, helping you understand:

• How to use ‘so do I‘ to agree with positive statements.
• How to use ‘neither‘ or ‘nor do I‘ to agree with negative statements.
• Choosing the correct auxiliary verb to use with ‘so‘ and ‘neither/nor‘.
• Common mistakes to avoid when using these phrases.
• Lots of examples to make it crystal clear!

‘So do I’: Agreeing with Positive Statements

Let’s start with ‘so do I‘. We use this phrase to show we agree with someone’s positive statement. The basic structure is:

So + auxiliary verb + I

The most important part is choosing the correct auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb in your short response must match the auxiliary verb used in the first statement. Let’s look at some examples to make this clear:

Examples with ‘be’ verbs (am, is, are, was, were)

If the first statement uses a ‘be’ verb, you use the same ‘be’ verb in your response:

• Statement: “I am tired today.”
• Agreement: “So am I!“

• Statement: “She is a good student.”
• Agreement: “So is he!” (Changing ‘I’ to ‘he’ to agree about someone else)

• Statement: “They were late.”
• Agreement: “So were we!“

Examples with ‘do/does/did’

If the first statement uses the simple present or simple past tense (and doesn’t have another auxiliary verb), you use ‘do‘, ‘does‘, or ‘did‘:

• Statement: “I like coffee.” (Simple Present)
• Agreement: “So do I!“

• Statement: “He plays the guitar.” (Simple Present – third person singular)
• Agreement: “So does she!“

• Statement: “They watched the movie.” (Simple Past)
• Agreement: “So did we!“

Examples with ‘have’ (auxiliary)

If the first statement uses ‘have‘ as an auxiliary verb (in present perfect or past perfect), you use ‘have‘, ‘has‘, or ‘had‘ in your response:

• Statement: “I have finished my homework.” (Present Perfect)
• Agreement: “So have I!“

• Statement: “She has been to Paris.” (Present Perfect Continuous – using ‘been’ form of ‘be’ after ‘have’)
• Agreement: “So has he!“

• Statement: “We had eaten already.” (Past Perfect)
• Agreement: “So had I!“

Examples with Modal Verbs (can, will, should, etc.)

If the first statement uses a modal verb, you use the same modal verb in your response:

• Statement: “I can swim.”
• Agreement: “So can I!“

• Statement: “They will be there.”
• Agreement: “So will we!“

• Statement: “You should study more.”
• Agreement: “So should I!“

‘Neither / Nor do I’: Agreeing with Negative Statements

Now let’s move on to ‘neither do I‘ and ‘nor do I‘. We use these phrases to agree with someone’s negative statement. The structures are very similar to ‘so do I‘:

Neither/Nor + auxiliary verb + I

Again, choosing the correct auxiliary verb is key, and it must match the auxiliary verb in the first negative statement.

Important Note: ‘Neither‘ and ‘nor‘ are both correct and mean the same thing in this context. ‘Neither‘ is slightly more common in spoken English, while ‘nor‘ can sound a little more formal. You can use either!

Examples with ‘be’ verbs (negative)

• Statement: “I am not hungry.”
• Agreement: “Neither am I!” or “Nor am I!“

• Statement: “She isn’t happy.”
• Agreement: “Neither is he!” or “Nor is he!“

• Statement: “They weren’t ready.”
• Agreement: “Neither were we!” or “Nor were we!“

Examples with ‘do/does/did’ (negative)

• Statement: “I don’t like tea.”
• Agreement: “Neither do I!” or “Nor do I!“

• Statement: “He doesn’t play tennis.”
• Agreement: “Neither does she!” or “Nor does she!“

• Statement: “They didn’t go to the party.”
• Agreement: “Neither did we!” or “Nor did we!“

Examples with ‘have’ (auxiliary – negative)

• Statement: “I haven’t seen that movie.”
• Agreement: “Neither have I!” or “Nor have I!“

• Statement: “She hasn’t been feeling well.”
• Agreement: “Neither has he!” or “Nor has he!“

• Statement: “We hadn’t finished eating.”
• Agreement: “Neither had I!” or “Nor had I!“

Examples with Modal Verbs (negative)

• Statement: “I can’t sing.”
• Agreement: “Neither can I!” or “Nor can I!“

• Statement: “They won’t come.”
• Agreement: “Neither will we!” or “Nor will we!“

• Statement: “You shouldn’t be late.”
• Agreement: “Neither should I!” or “Nor should I!“

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One common mistake is using ‘too‘ to agree with negative statements. ‘Too‘ is used for positive agreement, like “Me too!” after “I like pizza.” Don’t say “Me too” or “So do I” after a negative statement. Always use ‘neither/nor do I‘ for negative agreement.
Incorrect: “I don’t like Mondays.” “So do I!” (Wrong!)
Correct: “I don’t like Mondays.” “Neither do I!” or “Nor do I!” (Correct!)

Another mistake is using the wrong auxiliary verb. Always make sure the auxiliary verb in your short response matches the one in the original statement. Pay attention to the tense and the type of verb.
Incorrect: “I am tired.” “So do I!” (Wrong! ‘am’ is the auxiliary, not ‘do’)
Correct: “I am tired.” “So am I!” (Correct!)

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Complete the sentences below using ‘so‘, ‘neither‘, or ‘nor‘ and the correct auxiliary verb.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Statement: “I am going to the beach.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
2. Statement: “I don’t eat meat.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
3. Statement: “She can speak Spanish.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
4. Statement: “We didn’t finish the report.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
5. Statement: “He has been to Italy.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
6. Statement: “I will be there tomorrow.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
7. Statement: “They aren’t happy with the service.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
8. Statement: “I love learning English.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
9. Statement: “She doesn’t like spicy food.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”
10. Statement: “We were late for the meeting.” Agreement: “_______ _______ _______!”

Answer Key

1. So am I!
2. Neither/Nor do I!
3. So can I!
4. Neither/Nor did we!
5. So has she!
6. So will I!
7. Neither/Nor are we!
8. So do I!
9. Neither/Nor does he!
10. So were we!

Key Takeaways for Using ‘Neither / So do I’

• ‘So do I‘ is used to agree with positive statements.
• ‘Neither do I‘ or ‘Nor do I‘ are used to agree with negative statements.
• Always use the correct auxiliary verb from the original statement in your short response.
• Practice using these phrases in your spoken English to sound more natural and fluent.

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Keep practicing, and you’ll master ‘neither / so do I‘ in no time. Happy learning!