Which one should you use?
While 同意する implies a formal or literal agreement with a statement or opinion, 賛成する is more commonly used when expressing that you are 'in favor of' a proposal or a specific side in a discussion.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The dictionary form 同意する is used in casual speech or written text. For professional or standard social settings, use the polite form 同意します. Other formal options include the polite expression 同感です to show agreement with an opinion or statement, and the formal request ご賛同いただけますか？ to ask 'Can I have your agreement?' In informal situations, you can use そう思う to mean 'I think so' or 'I agree' or the casual いいね to mean 'Yeah, that's right' or 'Sounds good'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing agreement with a person or an opinion, the particle 'に' is used to mark the object of agreement (に同意する).
Did you know?
- In Japan, expressing disagreement is often done by avoiding 同意する entirely and instead using phrases like 難しいですね meaning 'that is difficult' to save face.
- When using 同意する in a business setting, it is much more common to use the humble-polite form 同意させていただきます to make the agreement sound less assertive.
- The word 同感 used in the phrase 同感です contains the character for 'same' and 'feeling', making the phrase literally mean 'it is the same feeling'.
Examples in context
- お二人に同意するわ。I agree with both of you.This sentence uses 同意する to express agreement with two people.Tatoeba #10159852 by small_snow, translation #5187455 by CK
- 問題は彼が私たちに同意するかどうかである。The question is whether he will agree with us.This sentence uses 同意する to discuss whether someone will agree with a group.Tatoeba #79814 by small_snow, translation #323903 by CH
- どちらかの味方をしたいわけではないが、あなたの意見には同意する。It's not that I want to take sides, but I agree with your opinion.This sentence uses 同意する to show agreement with an opinion without taking sides.Tatoeba #12856907 by Capellini, translation #12883686 by clm333
- 彼の提案には同意します。I agree with his proposal.
- あなたの意見には同感です。I agree with your opinion.
- この提案にご賛同いただけますか？Can I have your agreement on this proposal?
- そのアイデアはいいね！Yeah, that idea sounds good!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are discussing which restaurant to visit for dinner.
- 結衣 Yui私はイタリアンがいいと思うけど、どうかな？Watashi wa itarian ga ii to omou kedo, dō kana?I think Italian would be good, but what do you think?
- 蓮 Renいい考えだね。僕もその意見に同意するよ。Ii kangae da ne. Boku mo sono iken ni dōisuru yo.That's a good idea. I agree with that opinion too.
- 結衣 Yuiよかった！じゃあ、予約しておくね。Yokatta! Jā, yoyaku shite oku ne.Great! I'll make a reservation then.
- 蓮 Renお願い。楽しみにしてるよ。Onegai. Tanoshimi ni shiteru yo.Please do. I'm looking forward to it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
