We share our opinions and ideas every day at work and with friends and family. Therefore, it is very important that we are able to do this fluently in English.
In this lesson, we will cover the most common ways to give an opinion in English.
1. The most common what to give an opinion is to use the verb “to think”.
I think that + statement
After “that” we need to put a new sentence with a subject and a verb.
- I think that the restaurant is good.
- I think that she is nice.
- I think that we need to lower taxes.
- I think that they should move to a new house.
- I think that air pollution is the biggest problem in our city.
If there is no subject or no verb after “I think that”, then the sentence is wrong.
I think that should go.- I think that we should go.
I think that the painting beautiful.- I think that the painting is beautiful.
2. We can also use the verbs “feel” and “believe” to express an opinion. The sentence pattern is the same as “think”.
I feel that + statement
I believe that + statement
- I believe that we should invest more in research and development.
- I believe that she will come back to me.
- I feel that this plan is not a good idea.
- I feel that I need to make a change.
These sentences have a very similar meaning to sentences with “think”, but they give a different feeling. “Feel” and “believe” are stronger than “think” and they show that they are relying more on belief and feeling instead of logic and reason.
- I believe that she is alive.
- I believe that I can do anything.
- I feel that she will betray us. I don’t know why I think this. I just feel it.
Sometimes, it is a little strange to use “feel” or “believe”. They are too strong and do not fit the situation.
- I feel that popcorn is delicious. (Awkward!)
- I believe that action movies are fun. (Strange!)
For both of the sentences above, it is much better to use “I think…”.
3. We can make negative sentences to show what we do not think, feel, or believe. We just need to add “do not” before the verb “think”, “feel”, or “believe”.
- I do not think that she is nice.
- I don’t think that it will rain tomorrow.
- I do not believe that we can win.
- I don’t feel that we are well-prepared.
We can do the same thing by using the word “not” in the second part.
- I think that she is not nice.
(=I don’t think that she is nice.) - I believe that aliens do not exist.
(=I don’t believe that aliens exist.)
4. Remember that our opinion can be in any tense. It depends on the situation.
- I think that she is nice.
- I think that she was nice.
- I think that she will be nice.
- I think that she is being nice.
- I think that she has been nice.
5. We can also use the past tense of “think”, “feel”, or “believe” to talk about our opinions in the past. These are things that we do not think now.
- I thought that video games were fun when I was young, but now I think that video games are boring.
- I felt that she was not nice the first time I met her, but now I think that she is great.
- I believe that Santa Claus was real when I was in elementary school, but now I know that he is not real.
6. The word “that” is optional in all of these sentences. We can take it out if we want to. It is the speaker or writer’s choice.
- I think she is pretty.
(=I think that she is pretty.) - I think using electric cars is the best way to fight air pollution.
(=I think that using electric cars is the best way to fight air pollution.) - I don’t feel she was trying her best.
(=I don’t feel that she was trying her best.)
7. Sometimes we use a phrase at the beginning of the sentence to tell the listener that this is our opinion. Here are the most common ones.
In my opinion, + statement
- In my opinion, it is not a good idea.
- In my opinion, the property is currently overpriced.
In my view, + statement
- In my view, she is an effective leader.
- In my view, we need to spend more time planning.
From my perspective, + statement
- From my perspective, our strategy is not working.
- From my perspective, their relationship is failing because they do not communicate well with each other.
This next expression is quite strong and we only use it when making a serious point.
As far as I am concerned, + statement
- As far as I am concerned, this project is dead until we get more funding.
- As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to talk about.
8. We can also use this sentence pattern.
It seems to me that + sentence
- It seems to me that your English is excellent.
- It seems to me that he wasn’t prepared for the interview.
9. We can also share another person’s opinion.
- She thinks that it is too expensive.
- Mark believes that my company will be successful.
- Tiffany feels that her boss is unfair.
- Greg thinks that the movie was too violent.
10. There are other expressions and sentence patterns that we can use to express an opinion. The ones we covered above in this lesson are the most common ways. But here are a few other ways that we could express an opinion.
- In my experience, it was great.
- The way I see it is that our manager needs to communicate more honestly with the staff.
- Personally, I think that it is not great.
11. We can also use any of expression that we went over in this lesson in the past tense. If we use them in the past tense, then we are talking about an opinion in the past that the person does not have anymore.
- I thought that history was boring when I was in high school, but now I think that history is very interesting.
- I felt that she was arrogant the first time that I met her, but now I think that she is nice.
- Personally, I thought that pizza restaurant was terrible the first time, but now I think that it is the best pizza place in town.
We can also use the past tense to talk about our feelings or opinions of a past event.
- It seemed to me that they were not organized.
- I thought that the movie was too violent.
- I felt that the steak was overcooked.
Use this free English lesson to help you take your English skills to the next level. There are certain situations when the language that you learned in this English lesson can be very useful. Try to use one of these phrases or expressions the next time you speak English.
