When choosing between me either or me neither, use me neither to agree with a negative statement. If someone says, “I don’t enjoy horror movies,” the natural reply is, “Me neither.” It means you do not enjoy them either.
You may also hear me either, especially in casual American conversation. People usually understand it, but many speakers and style guides treat it as nonstandard. Therefore, me neither is the safer short reply. In formal writing, use a complete construction such as “Neither do I” or “I don’t either.”
Quick Answer
Use me neither as the standard short response to a negative statement: “I can’t attend.” “Me neither.” Me either has the same intended meaning in some informal American speech, but it is less widely accepted. For formal, academic, or professional English, write “Neither can I” or “I can’t either.”
Key Takeaways
- Use me neither to agree with a negative statement.
- Use me too to agree with a positive statement.
- Me either occurs in casual American speech but remains nonstandard.
- I don’t either is correct because the clause already contains a negative.
- Formal replies should match the original sentence’s auxiliary verb.
Me Either or Me Neither at a Glance
| Original statement | Best casual reply | Complete reply | Use note |
| I like this song. | Me too. | So do I. | Positive agreement |
| I don’t like this song. | Me neither. | Neither do I. | Negative agreement |
| I don’t like this song. | — | I don’t either. | Standard complete negative clause |
| I can’t stay late. | Me neither. | Neither can I. | Match the modal verb |
| I haven’t finished. | Me neither. | Neither have I. | Match the perfect auxiliary |
| I don’t like this song. | Me either. | — | Informal and nonstandard for many speakers |
What Does “Me Neither” Mean?
Me neither means “I also do not,” “I cannot either,” or another similar negative response. It expresses negative agreement. Cambridge Dictionary labels this use informal and gives it as a response to a negative statement in its
The exact missing words come from the previous speaker. For example, after “I’m not hungry,” the reply means “I’m not hungry either.” After “I’ve never been there,” it means “I’ve never been there either.” This omission is called ellipsis: speakers leave out words that the context makes easy to recover.
Is “Me Either” Correct?
Me either is common enough to be understood in informal American English, where it usually agrees with a negative statement. However, it is not the safest choice in standard English. Some speakers accept it naturally, while others consider it an error or strongly prefer me neither.
This difference reflects register and dialect, not a failure to communicate. In a casual text between friends, “me either” will often cause no confusion. Still, students and English learners should use me neither as their default. In an essay, report, business email, or formal conversation, choose a full clause such as “I don’t either” or “Neither do I.”
Why Is “I Don’t Either” Correct?
Either can mean “also” when it appears in a negative clause. The sentence already receives its negative meaning from not or n’t: “I don’t agree either.” Therefore, the phrase does not need neither, which already carries negative meaning.
Cambridge Grammar explains the standard not … either pattern and compares “I haven’t either” with “Neither have I” in its guide to
These two patterns express the same basic agreement:
- “I didn’t understand.” → “I didn’t either.”
- “I didn’t understand.” → “Neither did I.”
Do not combine both negatives in standard English: “I didn’t neither” is a double negative.
Me Too vs. Me Neither
Use me too after an affirmative statement and me neither after a negative one. This positive-versus-negative distinction is the easiest rule to remember.
- “I love summer.” → “Me too.”
- “I don’t like extreme heat.” → “Me neither.”
- “I can help tomorrow.” → “Me too.”
- “I can’t help tonight.” → “Me neither.”
Be careful when a sentence has a negative meaning without the word not. Words such as never, nobody, and nothing still make the statement negative. Therefore, “I’ve never tried skiing” takes “Me neither,” “Neither have I,” or “I haven’t either.”
Formal Alternatives to “Me Neither”
For careful writing, use a complete response with a subject and an auxiliary verb. Neither do I is standard, clear, and suitable in most contexts. Nor do I is also grammatical, although it may sound more formal to some American speakers.
Match the Auxiliary Verb
The complete response should match the tense or helping verb in the first statement. This pattern is called subject–auxiliary inversion because neither comes first, followed by the auxiliary and then the subject.
| Statement | Neither response | Not … either response |
| I am not ready. | Neither am I. | I’m not either. |
| I don’t drive. | Neither do I. | I don’t either. |
| I didn’t call. | Neither did I. | I didn’t either. |
| I can’t swim. | Neither can I. | I can’t either. |
| I won’t attend. | Neither will I. | I won’t either. |
| I haven’t eaten. | Neither have I. | I haven’t either. |
| I wouldn’t choose it. | Neither would I. | I wouldn’t either. |
When the first clause uses an ordinary present or past verb, English adds do, does, or did in the response. With be, a modal, or have in the present perfect, repeat that auxiliary.
Natural Conversation Examples
The following dialogues show how negative agreement works in everyday situations:
At school
Maya: “I didn’t understand the last question.”
Leo: “Me neither. Let’s ask the teacher.”
At work
Nora: “I haven’t received the updated schedule.”
Sam: “Neither have I. I’ll contact the coordinator.”
Between friends
Alex: “I don’t want to watch that movie again.”
Jordan: “I don’t either. Let’s choose something new.”
Making plans
Tara: “I can’t meet on Friday.”
Omar: “Me neither, but Saturday works for me.”
The short form sounds natural in dialogue, while the complete constructions make the grammar and intended meaning more explicit.
Common Mistakes and Easy Fixes
The most common mistake is answering a negative statement with me too. In standard use, “me too” agrees with a positive idea. Replace it with “me neither” when the first speaker uses not, never, or another negative term.
- Incorrect: “I don’t eat meat.” → “Me too.”
- Better: “I don’t eat meat.” → “Me neither.”
- Incorrect: “I can’t drive.” → “Neither do I.”
- Better: “I can’t drive.” → “Neither can I.”
- Incorrect in standard English: “I didn’t neither.”
- Correct: “I didn’t either.”
Also avoid responding mechanically before checking the intended meaning. “I hardly know him” is grammatically affirmative but has a near-negative sense. The clearest reply may be “I hardly know him either” rather than a short formula.
American and British English Usage
Me neither works widely across varieties of English. Me either is more strongly associated with informal American speech, but usage differs among individuals and communities. As a result, it is better to describe the phrase as a colloquial expression than to claim that every American uses or accepts it.
British speakers are generally less likely to choose “me either” for negative agreement. Still, personal and regional speech patterns vary on both sides of the Atlantic. If you need wording that sounds natural to the largest number of readers, choose “me neither” in conversation and “neither do I” or the matching full form in careful prose.
A Simple Rule for Choosing the Right Reply
First, decide whether the original statement is positive or negative. Next, choose a short or complete response based on the situation. Finally, match the auxiliary if you use a complete construction.
- Positive statement: use “Me too” or “So do I.”
- Negative statement, casual setting: use “Me neither.”
- Negative statement, formal setting: use “Neither do I” or “I don’t either.”
- Different auxiliary: change do to am, did, can, have, will, or the required verb.
This decision rule resolves most uncertainty about me either or me neither without treating natural dialect differences as careless speech.
FAQs
Yes, you may hear and use me either in casual American conversation, and listeners will usually understand it as negative agreement. However, many speakers consider it nonstandard. Use me neither when you want the safest informal option, especially as an English learner.
Me neither is an established informal response to a negative statement. It is not a complete clause, but conversational English regularly uses ellipsis. For formal prose, a complete construction such as “Neither do I” or “I don’t either” is clearer.
Neither do I is the normal standard construction after a present-simple statement such as “I don’t smoke.” English requires the auxiliary before the subject in this pattern. “Neither I” is incomplete in that context and should not replace it.
No, not when you want to agree with the positive meaning. Answer “I enjoy cooking” with “Me too” or “So do I.” A reply of “Me neither” would conflict with the statement or suggest that the speaker misunderstood it.
Usually, no comma is needed inside the phrase. Write it as a short sentence: “Me neither.” A comma may follow it when more words continue the thought, as in “Me neither, so let’s stay home.”
Yes, same here is a neutral, informal reply that can agree with either a positive or negative statement when the context is clear. For example, it can follow both “I’m tired” and “I’m not ready.” In formal writing, state the agreement explicitly.
Conclusion
When deciding between me either or me neither, choose me neither to agree with a negative statement. It is the safer and more widely accepted short reply. Although “me either” occurs in informal American speech, it may sound nonstandard to many readers and listeners.
For school, business, or other careful writing, use a complete form. Match the original auxiliary in “Neither do I,” “Neither can I,” or “Neither have I,” or keep the negative and add either: “I don’t either.”