Cultural Note. Conceding means to admit that something is true or to stop trying to win a competition or argument because you realize that you cannot win it

Conceding means to admit that something is true or to stop trying to win a competition or argument because you realize that you cannot win it. One can usually refer to conceding in the discussion the structure of which may be as follows:

- One person states an opinion, for example, violent movies should be censored.

- The other person disagrees.

- Both speakers support their position with facts and reasons.

- Sometimes one speaker concedes that the other person is right. This means that the speaker agrees, after much discussion, that the other person’s point of view is correct. It is like saying that the other person has “won” the argument.Here are some expressions that English speakers use to argue and concede.

Conceding a point and continuing the discussion:

Maybe you’re right, but…. I see your point, but…

That may be true. You’ve got the point there, but… Yeah, but….

Conceding finally:

You win. I give up. You’re right.

Ending the discussion without conceding:

I respect your opinion, but I don’t agree.

We just don’t see eye to eye on this. I just don’t see it that way.

In the conversations sometimes people have to acknowledge a mistake, i.e. to accept or admit that something exists is not true, or real or admit that he has made a mistake. The following expressions are ways that people acknowledge making a mistake:

I goofed (up) ( on something). I messed up.

I screwed up (something). I blew it.

I put my foot in my mouth = I said something rude or improper.

I made a fool of myself = I embarrassed myself by acting foolishly.

Sometimes one person (let’s call him “Person A”) bothers another (“Person B”); he makes Person B angry or uncomfortable in some way. What can Person B do? There are several possible answers. First, Person B might do nothing at all. This is common when Person A bothers B only one time – or in small ways. In such a case, Person B doesn’t think that the situation is bad enough for him to tell Person A.

However, if Person B wants to change the situation, he needs to say something about it to Person A. What can Person A say? In American culture, if B is an honest person, he’ll be direct with Person A. He’ll say what is on his mind; that is, he’ll say his thoughts. Sometimes it is difficult for B to do this because he doesn’t want to hurt A or make A sad. In this situation, B will still try to be direct. However, he may also try to be polite; he might say a few words to make his directness seem “softer”, e.g.:

“I hate to say this, but I don’t think that’s good / a good plan /idea.”

“I am sorry to say this, but I don’t… (agree, etc.)”

“To tell you the truth, I think you might be…(in trouble, etc.)”

A few people don’t like to be so direct. Instead, they might be sarcastic and say the opposite of their true thoughts; they hope that other people will still understand them. This however, causes problems. First, people might not understand that they are really angry. Second, people might understand them but also think that they aren’t polite. Most Americans believe that they can’t completely trust someone who isn’t direct.