AGREE

Good morning.

One of the most common errors that my Spanish and Catalan-speaking students make is with the verb AGREE. Which one of the following sentences is INCORRECT?

i) He says that there is global warming; I am agree.
ii) He says that there is global warming; I agree.

Sentence (i) is INCORRECT.

Agree is a verb, NOT an adjective. The verb BE (I am...) can be followed by an adjective or a noun, but NOT a verb infinitive:

iii) She IS a teacher. (BE NOUN)

iv) Janet and Mark ARE very happy. (BE ADJ)

v) Chris and Lola ARE eat. (**INCORRECT**)

Sentence (v) is a horrible sentence. I'm sure it sounds incorrect to you; but sentence (i), has the same incorrect structure.

In Spanish and Catalan, sentence (ii) above (I agree) is expressed with the verb BE (estar) an adjective (estoy de acuerdo / estic d'acord). When students say **I am agree**, they are most-likely translating directly from their mother tongue. However, remember that agree is a verb.  

Example 1:
Although Frank is very intelligent, I don't agree with what he is saying. 

Example 2:
Hillary and I always agree. I think that's why our marriage has been so successful.

If you prefer to use something that is more similar to Spanish or Catalan, you can use BE in agreement.

Example 3:
We are in agreement about the money we should spend on a new car.

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I hope you have a good day.