In everyday Australian conversation, fair enough often means “I can understand your reason” or “that seems reasonable”. It is more reserved than I agree: the speaker acknowledges the other person's point without necessarily accepting the whole position.
“I can’t come—I’ve got an early start.” “Fair enough. Next week?” This does not judge who is right; it accepts the explanation. If someone continues with “Fair enough, but…”, the meaning is “I grant that point, but there is still a problem”. For a Chinese speaker, relying on I understand can sound as though only comprehension is being confirmed. Fair enough more naturally signals that the reason has been considered. It is common in British and Australian speech, though Americans readily understand it.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fair-enough
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair%20enough
Discover more from Geoffrey Chen
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.