abstract the present study tried to investigate the effect of visual aids (films) on the development of the speech act of disagreement among iranian efl intermediate learners. to this end, the researcher selected 40 homogeneous intermediate learners based on their scores on oxford placement test. .the subjects then divided into control group and experimental group. both classes were tested by a multiple-choice dct test. the researcher used authentic video in experimental group, for the students to work on the speech act of disagreement. in the other class, the teacher used the script of the films on the experimental group. the focus of the material in control group is on vocabulary and grammar. after the treatment both classes were tested by the same dct test. the final statistic results of the study revealed that applying visual aids developed the speech act of disagreement among intermediate learners. the results of this investigation indicate that instructional approach included the use of video, enabled the learners to perform better than the other group in acquiring the pragmatic competence of english disagreement. these results imply that instructional techniques may result in the development of pragmatic competence.