Agreeing in Japanese with 私も and 私も〜ない: 'So do I' and 'Neither do I'
Learn how Japanese agrees with positive and negative statements using 私も (watashi mo) and 私も〜ない, the functional equivalent of English 'So do I' and 'Neither do I'.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English, agreeing with someone often needs a short inverted reply: 'So do I' after a positive statement, 'Neither do I' after a negative one. Japanese does not use inversion for this. Instead, it uses the particle も (mo), which means 'also' or 'too', attached to the person or thing being agreed about. For a positive statement, you simply say 私も (watashi mo), literally 'I also'. For a negative statement, you keep the negative verb and add も: 私も〜ない (watashi mo ... nai). This lesson teaches you to agree naturally with both kinds of statements, without translating English word order.
By the end, you can…
- agree with a positive statement using 私も (watashi mo)
- agree with a negative statement using 私も〜ない (watashi mo ... nai)
- tell when a short agreement like 私も is enough and when a full sentence is clearer
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私も。
Me too. / So do I.
watashi mo
The shortest positive agreement. Use it right after someone says something positive about themselves.
私もそう。
Me too. / That's the same for me.
watashi mo sō
A little fuller than 私も, and very common in casual conversation.
私も〜が好きです。
I like ... too.
watashi mo ... ga suki desu
Put the thing you both like before が好きです. Example: 私もお茶が好きです (watashi mo ocha ga suki desu).
私も〜ない。
I don't ... either. (plain)
watashi mo ... nai
Use this to agree with a negative statement in plain style. The negative ending stays. In polite style, use 私も〜ません instead.
私も〜ません。
I don't ... either. (polite)
watashi mo ... masen
The polite negative form. Good with people you do not know well.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Japanese agreement works with も (mo), not with inversion. After a positive statement, say 私も (watashi mo), 'I also'. After a negative statement, keep the negative verb and add も: 私もお茶を飲みません (watashi mo ocha o nomimasen), 'I don't drink tea either'. The person word 私 (watashi) can change: 田中さんも (Tanaka-san mo) means 'Tanaka too'. The key point is that も replaces は (wa) or が (ga) in the agreement sentence.
When to use it
Use 私も alone when the topic is already clear from the other person's sentence. If the other person says お茶が好きです (ocha ga suki desu), you can simply answer 私も。 If you want to be clearer or more polite, repeat the full pattern: 私もお茶が好きです (watashi mo ocha ga suki desu). For negatives, do not drop the negative ending. 私もです is not a natural way to agree with a negative statement; say 私も〜ない or 私も〜ません instead.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
私はお茶が好きです。
I like tea.watashi wa ocha ga suki desu私も。
Me too. / So do I.watashi mo私はコーヒーを飲みません。
I don't drink coffee.watashi wa kōhī o nomimasen私もコーヒーを飲みません。
I don't drink coffee either. / Neither do I.watashi mo kōhī o nomimasenA little context goes a long way
Japanese often prefers a short 私も over a full sentence, especially in casual conversation. Repeating the whole sentence can sound emphatic or slightly formal. In polite situations, 私も〜ません is safer than the plain negative 私も〜ない. Also, 私 is fine for many adult speakers, but in casual talk among friends, people may use their own name or say 私もそう (watashi mo sō) instead.
One thing to watch for
Using 私もです (watashi mo desu) to agree with a negative statement, as if it meant 'Neither do I'.
Try this instead: Keep the negative verb: 私もコーヒーを飲みません (watashi mo kōhī o nomimasen). 私もです works only for positive agreement, and even then 私も or 私もそう is more natural.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Someone says 私はお茶が好きです (watashi wa ocha ga suki desu). Give a short positive agreement.
Show a sample answer
私も。 (watashi mo)
私も means 'I also' and agrees with the positive statement. 私もそう (watashi mo sō) is also correct and slightly fuller.
2Someone says 私は肉を食べません (watashi wa niku o tabemasen). Agree politely.
Show a sample answer
私も肉を食べません。 (watashi mo niku o tabemasen)
The negative polite ending ません stays, and も replaces は. In plain style, 私も肉を食べない (watashi mo niku o tabenai) is also possible.
3Change 私はコーヒーが好きです (watashi wa kōhī ga suki desu) into an agreement sentence.
Show a sample answer
私もコーヒーが好きです。 (watashi mo kōhī ga suki desu)
Replace は with も to show 'I like coffee too'. The rest of the sentence stays the same.
For positive agreement, say 私も. For negative agreement, keep the negative verb and say 私も〜ない or 私も〜ません. Japanese uses も, not inversion.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Japanese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr