'So' and 'Neither'

A2 Elementary

Use 'so' and 'neither' to show that you have something in common with another person. These structures allow you to agree with positive and negative statements without repeating the entire sentence.

Overview

We use so to agree with a positive statement and neither to agree with a negative statement. These short responses act like a mirror, reflecting the tense and the auxiliary verb used by the first speaker.

Form

So/Neither + auxiliary/modal verb + subject

The word order is inverted, meaning the verb comes before the subject. You must match the auxiliary verb (do, be, have) or modal verb (can, will) used in the original statement.

Matching the Tense

If the original statement has no auxiliary verb (like the Present Simple or Past Simple), use do, does, or did.

Statement	Response	Verb Type
I am hungry.	So am I.	Be verb
I don't like tea.	Neither do I.	Present Simple
I can swim.	So can I.	Modal verb
I watched the film.	So did I.	Past Simple

Examples

Common mistakes

I don't like pizza. So do I.
I don't like pizza. Neither do I.
Use 'neither' for negative statements. 'So' is only for positive statements.
I am happy. So I am.
I am happy. So am I.
The verb must come before the subject in this structure.
I went home. So went I.
I went home. So did I.
Do not repeat the main verb; use the auxiliary 'did' for the past simple.

Practice

A: I can't speak French. B: _______ can I.
Show answer
Neither
Answer:Neither
Why:The first statement is negative ('can't'), so we must use 'neither' to agree.
A: I love chocolate. B: So _______ I.
Show answer
do
Answer:do
Why:The statement is in the Present Simple. Since there is no auxiliary verb, we use 'do' for the response.
A: I was late yesterday. B: So _______ I.
Show answer
was
Answer:was
Why:The response must match the verb 'be' used in the original statement.