empathize=同調、共感
例:I tried hard to empathize with his story because I know he's had a rough time recently=彼は最近辛い想いをたくさんしたからなるべく話に共感しようと意識した
play along with his story=彼の話に合わせる
例:I didn't quite agree with his point, but I played along with his story=少し違うな、と思いつつも話を合わせた