Imagine talking to someone and expecting good feedback from the person, only for the person to say ‘’I guess so”. This will get you confused because you will not be so sure if the person says yes or no.
That is why I wrote this article. In this article, I will show you 15 different ways that you can respond to someone telling you ‘ ‘I guess so’’.
With any of these replies, you will be able to understand what the person is saying clearly without thinking much.
15 Ways to Respond to “I Guess So”
- What do you mean?
- Do you mean yes? I do not want to make a mistake
- All right then
- If it is a yes, then I agree with you too
- Try to make your words clear
- How do you want me to understand what you just said
- You do not sound sure
- You need to be more assertive with your replies
- This answer is not convincing enough
- Truly
- Let me know when you are sure
- Is this a yes or no?
- I will keep mute till you explain what you mean
- I will appreciate a straightforward answer
- Ok!
What do you mean?
This is a straightforward reply that you can give to the person to make sure the person explains what he meant by saying I guess so.
It may mean yes, but you cannot be so sure and it will not be a good thing if you guess without getting the facts right.
That is why you need the person to clarify what exactly he means by I guess so. This is better than assuming.
Do you mean yes? I do not want to make a mistake
This reply shows that you already feel that the person said yes, you have to go further to ask if the person means yes, that way, you do not have to assume anymore.
If the person meant yes, then it would be that you had a correct guess.
It also shows that you do not want to make the mistake of assuming what is not true. When you ask, the person will reply and you will know exactly what you are to do or say.
All right then
This shows that you have agreed with what the person meant, you did not know if it was a yes or no, you just agreed.
When you say all right, it means you agree with what the person said. That way you do not need to ask too many questions anymore.
You already agree when the person says ‘’I guess so’’, you do not need to ask any more questions.
If it is a yes, then I agree with you too
This reply shows that you are asking if the person said yes, and if the person said yes, you agree with him on that decision. This is what this reply means.
With this reply, you do not need to bother too much. You already agree with the person if what he said means yes.
Try to make your words clear
In this reply, you are telling the person that he should try to make his words clear for people to understand.
It could be that the person enjoys using ambiguous words that people will find difficult to understand. That is why you need to communicate to the person that he should try to make his words clear.
Saying ‘’I guess so’’ is not so clear for some people to understand. This reply will go a long way to help because it will let the person know that what he said is not clear enough.
How do you want me to understand what you just said
This reply shows that you are not satisfied and that you find it difficult to understand what the person said.
You are asking the person how he expects you to understand what he said. Saying ‘’I guess so” is not a definite response though.
When the person understands that you do not understand what he said, then he will be willing to explain it better to you.
You do not sound sure
This is true, when someone says ‘’ I guess so’’, you have no idea what the person means and it also shows that the person is not so sure about what he is saying and the reply that he is giving you.
Let the person know that he does not sound sure and you will appreciate it if the person gives you an answer that shows that he is sure of what he is saying.
You need to be more assertive with your replies
‘’I guess so’’ is not an assertive answer, you need to let the person know that he needs to sound more assertive so that you will be convinced enough that the person knows exactly what he is saying.
If the person does not know what he is saying he may not be taken so seriously. It is a good thing you tell him that he needs to be more assertive in his reply.
This answer is not convincing enough
When someone asks you something and you reply by saying ‘’I guess so, that reply is not convincing enough and it will make the other person think that you do not have the intention of giving straight answers like yes or no.
Let the person know that you need an answer that is straightforward to avoid any form of confusion. With a reply like this, the person could make a change.
Truly
This shows you agree with whatever the person said. If the person said ‘’I guess so’’ and you reply by saying truly, it shows you agree with the person and you want to go with whatever the person said, be it a yes or a no.
With this type of reply, you will not need to ask too many questions to get clarity on what the person said. You already agree with the reply that he gave.
Let me know when you are sure
That sort of reply shows that the person is not so sure. It is just like asking if you would like to go for dinner and you reply by saying ‘’I guess so’’.
This reply is not convincing enough and the person who asked will not know if you mean yes or no.
It shows you are not sure about your reply. That is why this type of reply will help. I guess it does not sound like the person is sure, if you are in this situation, let the person know that that answer does not sound like he is sure.
Is this a yes or no?
You are asking a straightforward question in this reply. With a reply like this, you want the person to let you know if he meant yes or no when he said ‘’I guess so’’.
That way, you will have a better understanding of what you are to do or say.
Next time, the person will understand that giving a vague answer does not help matters and it will be better if the person can give a straightforward answer like yes or no.
I will keep mute till you explain what you mean
This shows that you do not like vague answers that do not convey the right information.
You are also letting the person know that you are not going to give a reply till the person has explained what exactly he meant by ‘’I guess so”.
I will appreciate a straightforward answer
You are telling the person upfront that you will appreciate it if the person can give a straightforward answer. Giving straightforward answers makes it easier for you and the other person.
You will not need to ask too many questions just to get what the person is saying. With a reply like this, you have made it easier for you, and you have prompted the person to make it easier for you to understand what the person said.
Ok!
This reply shows you do not want to ask any more questions and you are not bothered about what the person is trying to say.
You say ok, just to dismiss the person because you are fed up with vague replies from the person.
This is a good reply that you can give in a situation where the person says “I guess so”.
Final words
Nobody likes it when they get vague replies from people they ask questions, it makes it even harder for the person to understand what you are saying.
Imagine having to ask a person to explain the answer he gave when he would have just made it easier by simply saying yes or no.
If you are looking for the best type of replies that you can give in a situation like this, you can make use of any of these replies that I have explained in his article.
