10 Expressions to Help Students Speak English More Empathetically

Sometimes, conversations with our students during lessons seem a little off. Even when we’ve done our best to put them at ease, we might still encounter some who seem cold or awkward.

For many of them, this is because they simply don’t have the vocabulary to emotionally connect with others in English. They only know standard textbook expressions like “Me, too” and “I think so, too,” which show agreement, but not understanding and empathy.

So below are ten English expressions that’ll help bring their empathetic side out and let them sound more natural in conversation. We’ll also answer common questions students have about these expressions, so you’re prepared!

1. I feel the same way.

“I feel the same way” is like “I think so, too,” but with a focus on feeling rather than thinking. Here’s a sample dialogue you can use to present this to students:

You can explain that “I feel the same way” here makes it clearer that Arisa isn’t just agreeing theoretically with Nina, but also had similar personal experiences with the country and its people. If she had just said “I think so, too,” it’s possible that she hadn’t actually been to Mexico! 

Fun fact: Research at Stanford University has found that the same exact message can have different effects on people depending on whether it starts with “I think” or “I feel”!

2. I know how you feel.

“I know how you feel” is another great expression to introduce.

There’s some disagreement over it though, which we might want to warn students about. For example, some psychologists advise against this phrase, arguing that we never know exactly how someone feels. And sometimes, this phrase can make people feel worse.

Regardless, “I know how you feel” is a common expression, so your students will definitely come across it and maybe want to use it themselves. For example:

3. I know what you mean.

“I know what you mean” should be easy to understand, though some learners take it too literally and interpret it as “I understand the words coming out of your mouth.” 

So when introducing this one, you might want to explain that it means “I understand why you feel that way” which shows that you understand the deeper meaning behind what someone has said.

4. I can relate (to that).

“I can relate (to that)” seems simple enough, but can be confusing for learners, because they usually only know that “relate” means “connect.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary this meaning of “relate” only appeared in the last century, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that it hasn’t made it into most English courses!

Here’s a funny video you can show your students to help them better understand this phrase:

5. Agreed!

“Agreed!” is an enthusiastic way to agree with someone. Here’s an example dialogue you can share with your students:

If a student asks why it’s “agreed!” and not “agree,” you can explain that it comes from the phrase “It is agreed,” which is no longer commonly used.

6. Tell me about it!

“Tell me about it” is a hard one for learners to understand. Sometimes, people do say it to mean “Can you tell me more about the thing you just mentioned?” 

But more often than not, they say it to emphasize that they completely understand what their conversation partner is saying. Here’s an example:

You can explain that from Sarah’s response, we can guess that she has probably had a lot of negative experiences with them!

Here’s a real-life example you can share with your students:

7. I know, right? 

This expression also confuses a lot of students, because when they literally translate it into their native tongues, it becomes something like “I understand, true?” So you might want to break it down for them with an example like the following.

If someone says “It’s so hot!” someone else could reply, “I know, right?” which would boil down to “I know” (meaning “Yeah, it’s hot”) and “right?” meaning “isn’t it?” So put together, you get “Yeah, it’s hot, isn’t it?”

It’s important to say this phrase with the right tone, so you might want to share the following YouTube video for reference:

You might also want to let students know that in writing, “I know, right” is often abbreviated to “IKR” or “ikr.”

8. I get you.

Like a lot of the more casual expressions we introduced, this one also confuses learners. First of all, some students don’t know that “get” is an informal way to say “understand.”

In addition, some students will wonder how “I get you” and “I got you” differ — especially since “got it” means “I understand” too! To keep things brief, just say that “I get you” means “I can relate to you” and “I got you” means many things, including “I’ve got your back” or “I’ll help you if anything happens.”

Here’s a video you can show students to reinforce this phrase:

9. I hear you.

“I hear you'' is another slang expression. It doesn’t just mean “I’m listening to you” but “I hear what you’re saying and I completely understand.”

You can hear former US President Obama using it in this speech:

10. I’m with you (on that).

“I’m with you (on that)” is a little stronger than “I hear you” and “I get you,” because the person saying it does not t just “hear” or “get (understand)” someone; they’re “with” them. They’ve  probably experienced the same thing and are supportive.

You can send the song, “I’m With You” to your students as an example:

If you want to agree even more strongly, you can say “I’m right there with you,” “I’m completely with you (on that)”, or “I’m with you all the way.”

👋 That’s it for now! 

We hope you’ve found this list and all the explanations and examples helpful! During lessons, you can introduce some of these to students who seem like they want to open up but don’t have the vocabulary.

Depending on the student, you can do this both directly (telling students about them when giving feedback) and indirectly (modeling their usage yourself).

Happy tutoring!