Title: How to express your opinions in English
Course: Study PrepProg Introduction Social Services, Health Care and Professional English, Part 1 > Section: 3. Class: English

When we give our opinion, we say what we think, feel or believe about something or somebody.
Below are some phrases that you can use to help express opinions. Some of these phrases are more appropriate for written English whereas some can also be used in spoken English.

Personal Point of View

We use these words and phrases to express a personal point of view:
“In my experience…”
“As far as I’m concerned…”
“I’m absolutely convinced…”
“Speaking for myself…”
“In my opinion…”
“Personally, I think…”
“I’d say that…”
“I’d suggest that…”
“I’d like to point out that…”
“I believe that…”
“What I mean is…”
“It’s obvious to me…”

There are at least 3 ways to give a personal opinion.

1. We can express a strong opinion

Some people are very opinionated, which means they are certain about what they think and believe and express their ideas and opinions strongly and frequently. They love and can’t stop themselves expressing their opinions, even when they know nothing about the topic. I’m sure you know this type of person.
We use these words and phrases to express a strong opinion.

“I’m absolutely convinced that…”
“I’m sure that…”
“I strongly believe that…”
“I have no doubt that…”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that…”
For Example:
“I’m absolutely convinced that the best way to improve your English is to live in an English-speaking country such as the US.”
“It’s obvious to me that the best way to improve your English is by using English, not studying English.”

2. We can express our opinion neutrally

Many people are more cautious and careful when asked to give their opinions. They prefer not to be so certain about their own ideas and opinions and try to keep an open mind.
So, we can express a cautious or reluctant opinion when we show that we are not certain about what we think or we are reluctant to express what we believe.
“I think…”
“I feel that…”
“In my opinion…”
“As far as I’m concerned…”
“In my view…”
“I tend to think that…”
“I suppose that…”
“It seems to me that…”
“I must admit that I’m not sure…”
For Example:
“As far as I understand it, you need to practice on a regular basis if you want to improve your English.”
“It seems to me that there is no best way to learn English. Each person has to find a strategy or method that works for them.”

3. We can express a subjective opinion

We can express our opinion based ONLY on our own personal experience.
“In my experience…”
“I don’t know about other people, but I can say…”
“What I’ve found is…”
“As I see it…”
For Example
“I don’t know about other people, but I can say that taking English classes helped me to improve my English.”
“In my experience, watching and listening to films and TV in English can really help.”

General Point of View

We can express an objective opinion, based on research or what we have heard or read. In this way, we distance ourselves from the opinion to show that maybe it’s not what we personally believe.
We use these words and phrases to express a point of view that is generally thought by people:

“It is thought that…”
“Some people say that…”
“It is considered…”
“It is generally accepted that…”
“The research seems to suggest…”
“Apparently…”
I’ve heard that…”
For Example:
“Some people say that watching and listening to films and TV in English can really help”
“It is generally accepted that going to an English-speaking country is the best way to improve your English”

How to ask for someone’s opinion in English?

We use these words and phrases to ask for someone’s opinion.
“What do you think?”
“What’s your view?”
“How do you see the situation?”
“What’s your opinion?”

Agreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to agree with someone else’s point of view:
Of course.
You’re absolutely right.
Yes, I agree.
I think so too.
That’s a good point.
Exactly.
I don’t think so either.
So do I.
I’d go along with that.
That’s true.
Neither do I.
I agree with you entirely.
That’s just what I was thinking.
I couldn’t agree more.

Disagreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to disagree with someone else’s point of view:
That’s different.
I don’t agree with you.
However…
That’s not entirely true.
On the contrary…
I’m sorry to disagree with you, but…
Yes, but don’t you think…
That’s not the same thing at all.
I’m afraid I have to disagree.
I’m not so sure about that.
I must take issue with you on that.
It’s unjustifiable to say that…

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