Shadowing Practice: How to Express Your Opinion in English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Opinions. We all have opinions.
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Opinions. We all have opinions.
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We have opinions on the weather.
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We have opinions on the latest movie that we watched.
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And in English, you'll probably want to know how to express those opinions.
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A few weeks ago, one of you asked me to make a lesson about how to express your opinion in English.
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So what I did is I listened.
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I listened for about three weeks to everyone around me having English conversations, and I made a list of, I think, the ten most common ways that I heard people expressing their opinions.
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So in this lesson, I'll share that list with you, and hopefully it will help you express your opinion in English in your next English conversation.
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So the first three phrases you can use to express your opinion are very common, and you might already know them.
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They are, I think, I feel like, and in my opinion. If you asked me if it was going to rain today, I might respond and give my opinion by saying, I think it might rain today, or I feel like it might rain today, or in my opinion, it might rain today.
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So you might know these already.
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But the first three, the simplest three, I think, I feel like, and in my opinion. You can use all of those to start a sentence where you express your opinion.
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The next phrase I want to teach you that you can use to express your opinion is the phrase, the way I see it.
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If you like sports, you can watch sports on TV, or you can go watch sports in a stadium and see it live.
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The way I see it, watching a sport live is better than watching it on TV.
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You can see I'm expressing my opinion, and I'm introducing it with the phrase the way I see it.
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So the way I see it, live sports are just more fun.
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When you go to a stadium, you can buy a hot dog, you can sit, you can hear the roar of the crowd, and you experience the game in a different way.
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So the way I see it, watching a sport live is better than watching it on TV.
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The next phrase you can use to express your opinion is, here's what I think.
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And I know it has the little phrase I think in it, and I already taught that one.
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But as I kept track of what people were saying, I heard that a lot.
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Here's what I think.
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Maybe you're in a meeting and you're planning a class trip.
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Maybe it's a group of teachers, and someone says, should we walk to the place we're going or should we take a bus?
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I could express my opinion by saying, here's what I think.
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It's going to be really hot tomorrow, and the bus has air conditioning.
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I think we should take a bus.
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So another way to express your opinion, using the phrase I think, but kind of making it a bit longer, is to say, here's what I think.
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So I was talking to my friend the other day, and we were talking about online shopping versus going to a store.
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And I introduced my opinion by saying, as far as I'm concerned, online shopping is better than shopping in a store.
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And my friend disagreed with me, but that's how I introduced my opinion.
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I used the phrase, as far as I'm concerned. As far as I'm concerned, it's just easier to shop on my computer.
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I click everything that I want, and then I click checkout, and then the next day it comes.
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When I go to a store, I have to drive there and I have to use gas, and it costs money and it takes lots of time.
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So as far as I'm concerned, that's my opinion about shopping.
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As far as I'm concerned, online shopping is better than shopping in a store.
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The next phrase that you can use to express your opinion in English is the phrase, if you ask me, if you ask me, things are getting too expensive.
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If you ask me, food is too expensive.
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If you ask me, clothing is getting too expensive.
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When I express my opinions about the cost of things in the world, I can introduce it with the phrase, if you ask me. It's kind of an interesting one because no one's actually asked you.
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So you're kind of using an if clause to pretend that someone's asking you and then express your opinion in the response you give.
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I hope that made sense.
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So another way you can express your opinion is to say, if you ask me. If you ask me, everything is getting really expensive.
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I hope things become more affordable in the future.
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This next one is another phrase that starts with if, and it's the phrase, if I were you.
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This is when you give your opinion to someone who is asking for your opinion.
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Let's say a friend of yours is going to go somewhere on vacation.
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You might say, if I were you, I would buy my plane ticket sooner than later.
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If I were you, I would see if I could go on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday because flights would be cheaper.
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So someone is asking your opinion, and you phrase it with the if statement, if I were you. You're pretending that you are that person and you give them your opinion about the decision you would make if you were them.
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So if I were you, I would watch this video two times.
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When you watch the video twice, it really helps you remember what you've learned. The next way you can talk about your opinion is to start with the words for me.
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For me, it's really easy to exercise in the morning.
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For me, it's really difficult to exercise later in the day.
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I'm usually too tired.
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So I'm expressing my opinion about exercise, but I'm not saying it's true for everyone.
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I'm starting with the words for me so you know that this is how I feel about it.
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This is my opinion.
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For me, having a good night's sleep, getting up early in the morning, and going for a walk is the best way to exercise.
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For me, that works great.
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For someone else, it might not.
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So another way you can express your opinion is to start the sentence with the words for me.
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So this next one makes me laugh a little bit when I hear it, because I don't always know who they refers to if you express your opinion by starting a sentence with the words they say. They say the next Marvel movie is going to be the best Marvel movie ever made.
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They say that the next movie that Matt Damon is going to be in is going to be his best performance ever.
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When you start with they say, it kind of means you've read something about the thing you're talking about, or you were watching a news story about it.
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It doesn't always mean that I think some people use, they say just to express their own opinion.
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But if you've read about a movie and you're in a conversation about it, you could use those words.
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You could say, oh, they say that next movie is going to be amazing.
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Well, let's say you go see a movie and it's really good, or it's not really good, and you want to express your opinion about it.
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You could introduce your opinion with the phrase to be honest. You could say, to be honest, I didn't think the movie was very good.
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To be honest, I thought the special effects would have been better.
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To be honest, I don't think the movie was worth the money I paid for the ticket.
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So you're expressing your opinion, and you're introducing it with the phrase be honest, meaning that you're going to tell the truth.
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You're going to tell someone how you really feel about it.
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So, to be honest, I like it when I go to a movie, and after the movie, it's so good, I don't even think about how much I paid for it.
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The next phrase you can use to express your opinion, or to start expressing your opinion is the phrase, I'm pretty sure.
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And this is when you know something.
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If you know a certain singer who writes their own songs and you're in a conversation about that singer, you could say, I'm pretty sure she writes all her own songs.
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It means that you've probably read the Wikipedia article about that singer or you've done some reading to kind of back up your claim.
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So when you start something by saying, I'm pretty sure it means that you know it because you read it somewhere, and now that's your opinion.
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Another way to express your opinion if you don't think something's going to happen is the phrase, I doubt it.
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If you were to ask me if it's going to rain today, I've actually changed my opinion.
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I would probably respond and say, I doubt it.
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There isn't a cloud in the sky.
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I don't think it's going to rain anymore.
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So if someone's asking your opinion and you want to express in a negative way that you don't think something's going to happen, you can use the phrase I doubt it.
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Well, hey, thanks for watching this little lesson about how to express your opinion in English.
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I hope some of the phrases were familiar, and I hope some of them were new to you.
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And I hope you can use all of them in your next English conversation where you want to express your opinion.
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By the way, if this is your first time here, don't forget to click that red subscribe button.
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Give me a thumbs up.
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Leave a comment if you have some time.
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And if you want to learn a little bit more English, there's always more lessons to watch.
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And there's one right here and one right there. Bye.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you'll learn how to effectively express your opinions in English, which is a vital skill for engaging in conversations. Whether discussing the weather, movies, or more significant topics, knowing how to articulate your thoughts will enhance your English speaking practice. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a variety of phrases and expressions at your disposal that can help you confidently share your views in everyday conversations.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- I think - A common way to introduce your opinion.
- I feel like - This phrase adds a personal touch to your opinion.
- In my opinion - A formal way to express what you believe.
- The way I see it - Use this phrase to present a personal perspective.
- Here's what I think - A slightly longer introduction to your opinion.
- As far as I'm concerned - Indicates a strong preference or conviction.
- If you ask me - Introduces your opinion, even if no one has actually asked.
- If I were you - A way to give advice or suggest an opinion based on someone else's situation.
Practice Tips
To improve your English pronunciation and speaking fluency with these phrases, engaging in shadowspeak practice can be immensely helpful. Here's how you can do it:
- Watch the video at a slower speed, if available. This will allow you to catch the pronunciation and intonation of each phrase clearly.
- Copy the speaker's tone and rhythm as you repeat the phrases. Focus on mimicking not just the words, but also the emotional nuances conveyed, which enhances your english speaking practice.
- Record yourself using these phrases in sentences. Playback your recordings to identify areas for improvement in clarity and pronunciation.
- Try to use the phrases in natural conversation with friends or language partners. This will reinforce your learning and make it easier to remember them.
- Consider pacing your practice. Start with shorter sentences, then gradually incorporate longer phrases like "Here's what I think" to build your confidence and skill in improve english pronunciation.
By utilizing these strategies, you will not only expand your vocabulary but also enhance your ability to express opinions naturally in English discussions.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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