One of the best Spanish practices is conversation, but you might feel stuck if you’re not sure how to express your opinion appropriately.
When expressing your opinion, remember the phrases below and you’ll be ready to tell anyone what you think using the Spanish language. When using these phrases remember to ensure gender and number agreement when forming the noun and adjective.
1. En mi opinión: Direct translation of in my opinion, though in Spanish it sounds more formal than in English. You wouldn’t say this expression to your friends when deciding where to go party this weekend, but you can use it in a work meeting.
2. Yo pienso que: The typical “I think that…” phrase that can be used for almost any opinion-related topic. Usually Spanish learners start out with this one and with experience and practice learn to use other phrases to express their opinions. An example of how to use this phrase when talking about your friend’s great new cell phone would be “Yo pienso que el móvil es muy bonito y de buena calidad.”
3. Creo que: Is another classic. Creer means to believe so it is a way to give a guessing about something. But that guessing can be very strong. For instance you could say “creo que tienes razón” meaning “I think you are right”.
4. Me ha parecido: This expression means “seems to me…” When talking about a product, for example tomato sauce, you could say “La salsa me ha parecido muy rica.” Remember that if you’re talking about shoes, which is plural, you need to change the phrase slightly: “Los zapatos me han parecido muy incómodos.” You can also begin a sentence with this phrase when responding to a question or if the subject is already obvious. For example when asked, “¿Qué tal el libro?, you could respond, “Me ha parecido interesante.”
5. Para mí: This expression means “For me…” This is an excellent opener so as not to offend anyone because this expression makes it very clear that what your about to say is your personal opinion. For example, when talking about the movie your friends all loved and you hated, you could say “Para mí no estuvo tan bien la película.” You can also end a phrase with this expression, “La película estuvo un poco aburrida para mi.”
6. Se me hace que: This phrase, typical from LATAM but not so common in Spain, indicates your impression or deduction about something. For example, when you see some cheap, bad-quality sun glasses for sale, you could say “Se me hace que no son de marca” (They don’t look like they’re brand-name). This expression is also great for speculating about situations and people’s emotions. For example “Se me hace que Pablo está algo enfadado” (Pablo seems like kind of an angry person.)
7. A mi me gusta/no me gusta :The verb “gustar” can be used to express what you like and don’t like. It’s usually a bit of a challenge for non-native speakers to use this verb correctly, but after some practice it can be very useful for expressing your opinion. To help you understand how to use the verb, you need to understand that it means that something is “pleasing to you.” For example, if you like a brand of soap, you can say “A mi me gusta el jabón Limpiol.” But, since the verb is dependent on the object, not the speaker, if you’re talking about something plural such as the flowers, you would say “A mi me gustan las flores rojas.” And of course to make it negative, you would change it to “A mi no me gustan las flores rojas.”
Other Spanish phrases for opinions
- Está claro que
- Lo mejor sería
- Me parece buena idea
- Estoy a favor de
- A mi juicio
- A mi parecer
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask or write your favourite expressions.
