That must be tough/difficult/hard

[1270] I know what you mean

🎲 Tell me about it
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • Expresses strong agreement and shared understanding or experience with what someone has just said.
  • It validates the speaker's feelings, opinions, or experiences by indicating personal familiarity (I've felt/seen/experienced that too).

Origin

  • Standard English phrase directly stating shared knowledge (know) or understanding (mean).

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • I get it. / I get you.
  • I understand completely.
  • Tell me about it! (More emphatic, often for negative experiences)
  • I feel you. (Informal, common among younger generations)
  • Exactly! / Totally! / Right?
  • You can say that again.
  • Preach. (Informal, often online, stronger agreement with an opinion)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • I feel you. / I feel that.
  • Word. / Word up. (Acknowledgement, agreement)
  • True dat. (AAVE origin, means that's true, informal agreement)
  • Tell me about it!
  • Right?!
  • Deadass. (NYC/urban slang, emphatic agreement/truth)
  • No cap. (Recent slang, emphasizes truth/agreement)
  • Preach. (Expressing strong agreement with an opinion, as if it's a sermon truth)

More Formal:

  • I understand completely.
  • I can certainly relate to that perspective.
  • That resonates with my own experience.
  • I concur.

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Fuck yeah, I know what you mean.
  • Damn right I know what you mean.
  • No shit. (Can mean 'obviously' or 'I strongly agree')

Situational Appropriateness

  • Very common in informal conversations among peers.
  • Can be used in semi-formal contexts, but highly formal situations might require more specific or elaborated agreement.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Generally straightforward. Ensure you genuinely understand and relate to the speaker's point before using it to avoid sounding dismissive or insincere.

Examples

  • It's so annoying when the wifi keeps dropping. Ugh, I know what you mean!
  • I find it hard to get motivated on Monday mornings. Yeah, I know what you mean.
  • This new software update is confusing. Totally, I know what you mean.

Dialogue

Coworker 1: I'm exhausted. These back-to-back meetings drain all my energy.

Coworker 2: Oh, I know what you mean. By 3 PM, my brain just shuts down.

Coworker 1: Exactly! I need more breaks between them.

Social Media Examples

  • User A: Trying to eat healthy but office snacks are my weakness 😩 User B: OMG I know what you mean! The temptation is real!
  • Reply to a comment about frustrating bureaucracy: I know exactly what you mean. Spent hours on the phone for nothing.

Response Patterns

  • Right?! / Exactly!
  • Totally.
  • A nod of mutual understanding.
  • The listener might then share their own related anecdote.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing I know what you mean:

  • The listener often elaborates on their shared experience: It happened to me just yesterday..., I feel the exact same way when....
  • The original speaker feels validated and might continue the thought.

Action:

  • Builds rapport and strengthens the connection between speakers through shared perspective.

Conversation Starter

  • No. It's a response expressing agreement and shared understanding.

Intonation

  • Usually said with clear agreement and connection.
  • Emphasis typically falls strongly on know. I KNOW what you mean.
  • Can be slightly drawn out or said with more energy to emphasize the shared feeling.

Generation Differences

  • Used across all generations. I feel you is a more recent informal alternative popular among Millennials and Gen Z. Preach is common in online/text interactions.

Regional Variations

  • Standard across English-speaking regions.
That must be tough/difficult/hard
🎲 Tell me about it