What can I say instead of 'in my opinion'?

'I think', 'I'd say', 'If you ask me', 'From what I've seen' and 'Personally, I…' all work. 'In my opinion' is correct, but 'I think' is often lighter and more conversational.

How do I make my opinion sound softer?

Add a hedge: 'I think it's a bit expensive', 'It seems to me that…', 'I might be wrong, but…'. English speakers often soften opinions on purpose, and it usually reads as considerate rather than unsure.

Is 'I think that' with 'that' necessary?

No. 'I think that it's a good idea' and 'I think it's a good idea' are both correct, and dropping 'that' is common in speech. In a longer sentence, keeping 'that' can make the structure clearer.

Vocabulary Level B1

Giving Opinions in English: 8 Ways to Say What You Think

Say what you think in English without sounding blunt: strong and soft opinion phrases, how to hedge, how to ask for someone else's view — with an exercise.

it seems to me · I think · I'm convinced

Opinion phrases aren't interchangeable — they sit on a soft to strong scale, and choosing the wrong end can make a reasonable point land badly. It seems to me the price is high leaves obvious room for discussion; I'm convinced the price is too high signals much firmer certainty. Most everyday conversation lives in the neutral middle, and knowing how to step either way is the real skill here.

The eight you'll actually use

Two soft, four neutral, two strong. If you learn nothing else here, learn these and where they sit.

1. It seems to me the process is too slow. · 2. I might be wrong, but I don't think they read it. (soft — leaves room to be corrected)

3. I think we should wait. · 4. I'd say it's worth trying. (neutral — the everyday default)

5. If you ask me, it's not worth the money. · 6. From what I've seen, it works fine. (neutral, grounded in your experience)

7. I'm convinced this is the right call. · 8. There's no doubt it's the cheaper option. (strong — save these for when you mean them)

In my opinion is correct and common, especially when you want to mark a view explicitly. In casual conversation, I think is often lighter and less emphatic.

Hedging: why softening isn't weakness

English speakers often soften opinions deliberately. A hedge signals that you know other views exist — it usually reads as considerate, not uncertain. Small words do most of the work.

a bit · a little · maybe · possibly · I'd say · kind of · not quite · to be honest · at least in my experience

It's a bit expensive. (often means "quite expensive" — understatement is common)
I'm not quite sure that's the whole picture. (a polite way to say you disagree)

How much hedging sounds right varies by workplace and by culture, and it's easy to overdo — three hedges in one sentence bury the point. One is usually enough.

Asking, agreeing, pushing back

An opinion works better as a two-way move. Ask for the other view, and reply to it before adding yours.

Asking: What do you think? · How do you feel about the new schedule? · Any thoughts?

Agreeing: That's a good point. · Exactly. · I feel the same way.

Pushing back: I see it differently. · That's one way to look at it, but … · Really? I'd have said the opposite.

Two questions that keep a conversation open rather than closing it: What makes you say that? and Have I understood you right? Both work in a meeting and at dinner.

Common mistakes

"To my opinion" / "by my opinion." The fixed preposition is in.

✕To my opinion, the design is better.
✓In my opinion, the design is better. / I think the design is better.

"I am agree" and "I am think." Both are verbs, so they don't take be.

✕I am agree, and I am think we should start now.
✓I agree, and I think we should start now.

Negative placement with think. For a neutral prediction, English usually puts the negative on think: I don't think he'll come. The grammatical alternative I think he won't come can put more emphasis on his not coming.

Going straight to the strong end. Opening with your firmest phrase leaves you nowhere to go, and can read as dismissive.

✕There's no doubt this is wrong. (fine when you truly mean it — heavy as an opener)
✓It seems to me there's a problem here — can we check it?

Quick exercise

Fill each gap with one item from this list: In my opinion · a bit · I'd say · don't think · seems to me · What do you think.

It ___ the meeting could have been an email.
I ___ he'll come — he said he was busy all week.
The jacket is nice, but it's ___ expensive for me.
___ , the first design was stronger. (formal, essay-style opener)
I've used both, and ___ the cheaper one is fine.
That's my view. ___ ?

Answer key

seems to me (soft opinion; "it seems to me (that)…")
don't think (English puts the negative on think)
a bit (the standard softener before an adjective)
In my opinion (the formal opener the gloss asks for)
I'd say (neutral, grounded in your own experience)
What do you think (hands the turn over)

Practice this in Recursio

Opinion phrases come in strengths — soft, neutral and strong — and picking the wrong one changes how you land. Save a few from each level to your word list in Recursio; spaced review can help the right one arrive when the conversation does.

Build your word list in Recursio → · Free to start, on iOS and Android.