Whether you’re collaborating on a work project, choosing a dinner spot, debating politics, or talking to a friend about Game of Thrones - it’s incredibly important that you know how to express your opinions!

Learning how to share your thoughts is a fun and exciting part of developing your English language skills. Today we’ll discuss the most useful phrases and vocabulary to express your opinion politely and effectively.

Common Questions

When somebody wants to know what you think, they might not directly ask: “What do you think?” There are many ways to ask for an opinion.

  • What do you think about that?
  • What's your opinion?
  • What's your take on that?
  • Do you agree? Do you disagree?
  • Why do you think that?
  • Can you give me some input/feedback?
  • What's your position on this issue?

Examples:

  • What's your opinion on school uniforms?
  • Can you give me some feedback on the report I sent you?
  • Why do you think that everybody should take public transportation?

Giving your Opinion

When you give your opinion, it’s definitely correct to say: “I think that…” That being said, take a risk, and try expressing yourself in a different way! There are many excellent phrases to introduce an opinion.

  • I think that...
  • I believe...
  • In my opinion...
  • From/In my point of view...
  • My impression is that...
  • My perspective is that...
  • In my experience...
  • It appears to me that...

Examples:

  • I believe that school uniforms are a great idea. My perspective is that uniforms make life much easier for parents and students. 
  • From my point of view, the report seems incomplete. My impression is that you've done an excellent job explaining your clients' problems, but you could write more about potential solutions.
  • In my opinion, public transportation is am excellent way to commute safely and protect the environment. In my experience, it's been cheaper than owning a car. 

Expressing Agreement

  • I agree [OR add a superlative for strong agreement] - I definitely/totally/completely agree
  • We're on the same page
  • I think that's true. 
  • That's right.
  • Yes, exactly. 
  • I feel the same way.

Examples:

  • I completely agree that that the south of Chile is the most beautiful part of the country.
  • I agree that it's necessary to move the deadline to next week. We're definitely on the same page.
  • I feel the same way. We should totally eat Indian food tonight. 

Expressing Disagreement

Politely disagreeing with people can be really difficult! Luckily, in English, we have lots of polite ways to express when we don’t see eye to eye.

Examples:

  • You call it soccer, and I call it football. We're going to have to agree to disagree!
  • I disagree with you. I think that we need to have stricter environmental sustainability policies. I have a different perspective because I've done significant research about climate change. 
  • I'm not so sure about that. I think that school uniforms are boring and don't allow students to express their personalities. 

Expressing Partial Disagreement

Now that you have the vocabulary to express agreement and disagreement, how do you express that you only partially agree? The phrases below give you a great way to acknowledge someone’s comment AND introduce why you disagree.

  • I see what you're saying, but...
  • That's an interesting point, but...
  • I agree with part of what you're saying, however...
  • That might be true, but
  • On one hand __________. On the other hand, ____________.

Examples:

  • On one hand, you're right, public transportation is really great. On the other hand, driving is so much more convenient and efficient. 
  • I see what you're saying, but I think we need to decide on a more long-term strategy.
  • That might be true, but I think we need to consult our manager before moving forward with the product launch. 

Changing the Topic

We’ve all been in conversations where we really want to discuss something else. Here are some quick and easy phrases for changing the topic.

  • I'd also like to discuss...
  • Do you think we could shift to a different topic?
  • This has been a really interesting topic/conversation,
  • On a different note, 

Examples:

  • It's been fascinating to learn about your company's new environmental sustainable policies. If you have time, I'd also like to discuss how you're planning to implement them this year. 
  • Wow, that sounds really great! On a different note, can I tell you about my plan for our company picnic this year?
  • I'm not sure we're going to see eye to eye on this one. Could we shift to a different topic?
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Written by Mariah Wika

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