This is a passage in the movie The Social Network at 01:14:49:
Mark says: "Yeah, that reminds me, we're gonna need more money, Wardo."
Eduardo replies: "Yeah, no, I agree. More servers, more help."
(Emphasis mine.) I want to know why Eduardo says "no" after "yeah". How can he use them both in the same sentence? Is this an idiom?
Note that the quote is based on the subtitles, so I didn't mishear a "yeah, I know" or anything like that.
Best Answer
I've said it myself conversationally. Its generally used when the person you are talking to is expecting an argument back from you, or for some reason thinks you disagree with them on a point, when in fact you don't.
I always pictured the "Yeah" as going with the stated argument, and the "No, I agree" as applying to the person's unstated statement that you need convincing on that point.
Its sort of a conversational palliative for when you're talking with someone who is getting worked up over a point that you don't feel is actually in contention.