‘You’re Right, Mate’ Can Mean ‘You’re Fine’

In Australian conversation, ‘You’re right, mate’ does not always mean that the other person’s opinion is correct. It can mean ‘you’re fine’, ‘no harm done’ or ‘don’t worry’. If you accidentally bump into someone at a café and say ‘Sorry’, they might reply, ‘You’re right, mate’, much like ‘No worries’.

Here, right describes the person’s situation as being all right. The tone is casual and friendly, and context supplies the meaning. In a discussion, ‘You’re right’ can still express agreement; ‘You’re right about that’ makes that sense clearer. After a minor mishap, translating the phrase literally as ‘you are correct’ misses what the speaker is doing.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/chill-brah-our-language-is-changing-but-shell-be-right/news-story/e67837116e11813ed2f0fce9d132e6e4
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/all-right