Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel where learning English is easy and fun.
I'm Emily.
Hello Emily.
Hi everyone.
It is so wonderful to be here with you today.
I am feeling very happy.
I am happy too, Paul.
You look very energetic today.
Did you have a good morning?
I did.
I had a very big breakfast, eggs, toast and a very large orange juice.
It was delicious.
Oh, wow.
A big breakfast is the best way to start the day.
I only had a small yogurt and my coffee.
Well, your coffee is very important, too.
I see it there.
It looks warm.
It is.
It is my favorite part of the morning.
But Paul, I'm excited because today we have a very special topic.
Oh, I love special topics.
What are we talking about today?
Today, we are going to learn how to express our opinion.
Ah, opinions.
That is very important.
We all have opinions, right?
Yes, exactly.
We have opinions about food, movies, music, and even the weather.
That is true.
I have many opinions.
Sometimes I think I have too many opinions.
That's okay.
It is good to share what we think.
It helps us talk to people and make friends.
I agree.
But sometimes it is hard to find the right words in English.
I don't want to be rude and I want people to understand me.
You are right, Paul.
Many students feel nervous about this.
They think, how do I say what I think?
Or is this correct?
Yes, that is exactly how I feel sometimes.
So I am ready to learn some easy ways to do this.
Great, but wait, paul.
Before we start our chat, we should ask our friends for a small favor.
Oh yes, you are right everyone.
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Thank you so much.
Okay, Paul, are you ready?
I am ready.
Let's talk about opinions.
Okay, so the first way to give an opinion is very, very simple.
We use two words, I think.
I think.
I know those words.
Yes, it is the most common way to start.
For example, I think this coffee is great.
Ah, okay.
So I can say, I think the sun is very bright today.
Exactly.
Or I think English is fun.
I definitely think English is fun.
That is an easy one.
It is.
Another word that is very similar is I feel.
I feel?
Like my emotions?
Yes, but we use it for opinions too.
For example, I feel that this movie is too long.
Oh, I see.
So I think and I feel are like cousins.
They are very similar.
Yes, they are perfect for daily life.
You can use them with your friends or at work.
What if I want to sound a little more formal or different?
That is a good question.
You can use the phrase, in my opinion.
In my opinion.
That sounds very professional, Emily.
It does, but it is still easy to use.
In my opinion, the blue dress is better than the red dress.
Oh, I like that.
In my opinion, pizza is the best food in the world.
Well, that is a very strong opinion, Paul.
But it is a good sentence.
Thank you.
So we have I think, I feel, and in my opinion.
Yes.
And there is one more that is very friendly.
You can say for me.
For me?
Yes.
For me, summer is the best season.
It shows that this is your personal idea.
Ah, for me, tea is better than coffee.
Oh, Paul, how can you say that?
I'm sorry, it is just an example.
I like your coffee too.
Okay, okay, I forgive you.
But see, you just expressed your opinion.
That was great.
Wow, it is not so difficult.
But Emily, what happens after I say my opinion?
I want to know what the other person thinks.
That is very important.
A conversation is two people talking, so you must ask a question.
What question should I ask?
The easiest one is, what do you think?
What do you think?
Okay, I like that.
It is simple.
Yes, or you can ask, do you agree?
Do you agree?
Hmm, that is a good one too.
Let's practice, Paul.
I will give an opinion and then I will ask you.
Okay, I'm ready.
I think that cats are better than dogs.
What do you think?
Oh, hmm, I'm not sure.
For me, dogs are better because they are very friendly.
Do you agree?
I see.
I agree that dogs are friendly, but I think cats are very cute and quiet.
That is true.
Cats are very quiet.
My dog is very loud.
See, we are having a real conversation about opinions.
Yes.
And I used a new phrase.
I said, I'm not sure.
Yes, that was perfect, Paul.
I'm not sure is a very polite way to say you don't have the same opinion.
Is it rude to say no?
Sometimes just saying no can be a little strong.
It's better to say I disagree or I don't think so.
I don't think so.
That sounds softer.
Yes, or you can say maybe, but maybe.
But oh, i like that.
It shows i am listening.
Maybe, but i think the other restaurant is cheaper exactly.
It is very polite.
It shows you respect the other person's idea, even if you don't agree.
This is very helpful.
Sometimes i am afraid to say i don't agree because i don't want the other person to be sad or angry.
I understand.
But in English-speaking cultures, it is okay to have different opinions.
We just use polite words.
Polite words, like in my opinion or I see your point, but… Yes.
I see your point is a fantastic phrase.
It means I understand what you are saying.
I see your point, Emily, but I think green tea is very healthy.
You really love your tea today, Paul.
I do.
It gives me energy.
That's great.
Now, Paul, what if we agree with someone?
What can we say?
Hmm.
I usually just say yes.
Yes is okay, but we have better ways.
You can say I agree with you, agree with you, okay.
Or you can say exactly oh exactly, I hear that word a lot.
Yes, it means you agree.
100, it is a very positive word.
Exactly see, I used it, perfect.
You can also say you're right, you're right.
That is a very nice thing to hear.
It is.
When someone says, you're right, it makes me feel very happy.
Me too.
So if you say, this podcast is very helpful for students, I can say, you're right.
Ah, thank you, Paul.
And I agree with you too.
This is fun.
We are learning how to agree and how to disagree.
Yes, but there is one more thing.
When we give an opinion, it is very good to say why.
Why?
You mean give a reason?
Yes, we use the word because.
Because.
Okay.
I think winter is beautiful because I love the snow.
Yes, that is a complete opinion.
Opinion plus because plus reason.
Okay, let me try another one.
In my opinion, learning English is important because it helps you travel.
Wow, Paul, that is a perfect sentence.
It is very clear.
Thank you.
It feels good to say more than just, I like English.
Yes, adding because makes your English sound much better.
It makes you sound more confident.
Confidence, like our other episode.
Exactly.
Confidence is key.
Emily, I have a question.
What if I don't have an opinion?
Sometimes people ask me, what do you think of this new song?
And I don't know the song.
That happens to me too.
In that situation, you can say, I don't really know.
I don't really know.
Or I don't have a strong opinion about that.
I don't have a strong opinion.
That is a long sentence, but it is very useful.
It is.
It means you don't care very much or you don't have enough information.
That is very honest.
I like being honest.
Me too.
Honesty is important in conversation.
Okay, so we have many tools now.
I think, I feel, in my opinion, for me, I agree, I disagree, and because.
Yes, you are doing a great job, Paul.
Should we practice with some more topics?
Yes, let's do it.
Hmm, what is a good topic?
Oh, movies.
Okay.
What is your opinion on action movies?
Hmm.
I think action movies are very exciting because they are fast.
What do you think, Emily?
For me, action movies are a bit loud.
I prefer romantic movies because they are sweet.
Do you agree?
Maybe, but sometimes romantic movies are a little boring for me.
I see your point.
They can be slow, but that is okay.
We can like different things.
Exactly.
We are still friends.
Of course.
Okay, let's try another one.
What is your opinion on cooking at home?
Oh, in my opinion, cooking at home is better than eating at a restaurant, because it's cheaper, and I like to cook.
What about you?
I agree with you, Paul.
Cooking at home is healthy, but I think eating at a restaurant is fun because you don't have to wash the dishes.
Oh, you are right.
Washing the dishes is the worst part.
It really is.
I don't like it at all.
Me neither.
So, for me, a restaurant is better on the weekends.
That is a good plan.
See?
We are using all the phrases.
It feels very natural.
It doesn't feel like a lesson.
It feels like a chat.
That is the goal.
Learning English should feel natural.
I agree.
Emily, do you have any more tips for our listeners?
Yes.
My advice is to start small.
Don't try to use very difficult words.
Use I think first.
I think is a great start.
Yes.
And when you're comfortable, try in my opinion.
And don't forget to smile.
Like we said in the confidence episode, a smile makes your opinion sound friendly.
Yes.
Even if you disagree, if you smile and say, I'm not sure, it is very kind.
That is true.
A smile is very powerful.
It really is.
Paul, I think we have covered a lot today.
We have.
I feel much more confident about sharing my ideas now.
That makes me so happy, and I hope our listeners feel the same way.
I hope so, too.
It is so much fun to talk about what we like and what we don't like.
Yes, it makes the world interesting.
Imagine if everyone had the same opinion.
That would be boring.
Oh yes, very boring.
Everyone eating the same food and watching the same movies?
No thank you.
Definitely not.
Well, Paul, before we finish, should we remember the main points from today?
Yes, let's think.
What did we talk about first?
Well, we started with the easy ways to say what we think, like using I think or I feel.
That's right.
And I remember we can also use for me or in my opinion if we want to change it a bit.
Yes.
And then we talked about how to ask other people for their ideas using what do you think or do you agree?
Oh, and my favorite part was learning how to agree and disagree politely, using words like exactly or I'm not sure.
Exactly.
And we also said it is very important to use the word because to give a reason for our opinion.
Yes, because makes the sentence complete.
And if we don't know, we can just say, I'm not sure or I don't know.
Perfect, Paul.
You remembered everything.
You are a star.
Thank you, Emily.
You are a great teacher.
Oh, thank you.
But we are just friends talking.
That is the best way to learn.
It really is.
Well, I think our time is almost finished.
Yes, it is.
But before we go, we want to hear from you, our listeners.
Yes.
We have a question for you to answer in the comments.
What is the question, Paul?
In your opinion, what is the best city in the world and why?
Oh, that is a fantastic question.
In my opinion, the best city is because... Yes, please write your answer in English.
We love to read your comments and your opinions.
Yes, we do.
It is so much fun to see where you are from and what you think.
And remember, if you liked this episode, please subscribe and share it with your friends.
Yes, please.
It helps Mr. English Channel grow and reach more people around the world.
Thank you so much for listening today.
It was a pleasure to talk with you, Emily.
The pleasure was mine, Paul.
I enjoyed our chat very much.
Me too.
Well, see you next time, everyone.
Bye for now.
Bye-bye.
