French Opinion Phrases
To give an opinion in French, start with à mon avis, selon moi or je pense que, then back it up with reasons and an example. Agree with je suis tout à fait d'accord, disagree politely with je comprends votre point de vue, mais…, and add nuance with certes… mais. Watch the grammar: je pense que takes the indicative, je ne pense pas que takes the subjunctive.
Free to print and share with credit to French Exam Alert (licence). 2400×4212px.
In the TEF / TCF Canada exam
TCF speaking Task 3 and TEF Section B score your argument: say your view early, defend it, and answer the other side.
French Opinion Phrases: the full chart as text
Give your opinion
- À mon avis, …In my opinion, …
- Selon moi / D'après moi, …In my view, …
- Je pense que c'est utile.I think it's useful.
- Je suis convaincu(e) que…I'm convinced that…
- Il me semble que…It seems to me that…
- Personnellement, je trouve que…Personally, I find that…
Agree
- Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous.I completely agree with you.
- Vous avez raison de dire que…You're right to say that…
- Je partage cet avis.I share this view.
- C'est exactement ce que je pense.That's exactly what I think.
Disagree politely
- Je ne suis pas d'accord avec cette idée.I don't agree with this idea.
- Je ne partage pas cet avis.I don't share this view.
- Je comprends votre point de vue, mais…I understand your point of view, but…
- Au contraire, je pense que…On the contrary, I think that…
- Ce n'est pas tout à fait vrai.That's not entirely true.
Nuance and concede
- Certes, c'est cher, mais…Admittedly, it's expensive, but…
- D'un côté… de l'autre…On the one hand… on the other…
- Il est vrai que… Cependant…It's true that… However…
- Cela dépend de la situation.It depends on the situation.
- Dans une certaine mesure, oui.To some extent, yes.
Make a hypothesis
- Si on interdisait les voitures, on respirerait mieux.If we banned cars, we'd breathe better.
- Si j'étais maire, je créerais…If I were mayor, I would create…
- Imaginons que ce soit gratuit.Let's imagine it were free.
- Dans ce cas, il faudrait…In that case, we would need to…
Indicative or subjunctive?
Je pense que and je crois que take the indicative. In the negative or a question they take the subjunctive. Je doute que always does.
- Je pense que c'est utile.I think it's useful.
- Je ne pense pas que ce soit utile.I don't think it's useful.
- Je doute que ce soit possible.I doubt it's possible.
Conclude
- Pour conclure, je dirais que…To conclude, I'd say that…
- Tout bien considéré, …All things considered, …
- C'est pourquoi je reste convaincu(e) que…That's why I'm still convinced that…
Go deeper
Free PDF · 29 pagesTEF & TCF Canada Speaking Phrasebook (Expression orale)Phrase banks, step-by-step scripts, sample dialogues and 100 practice prompts for every speaking task Guide · 8 min readTCF Canada speaking: the 3 tasks, minute by minute12 minutes, 3 tasks, and only one of them gives you prep timePreparing for TEF or TCF Canada?
Seats at many centres sell out within minutes. Pick your cities and we alert you by email or WhatsApp the moment one opens.
Questions
À mon avis is the most common. Selon moi and d'après moi mean the same. For variety, use personnellement, je pense que… or il me semble que… Don't write "dans mon opinion": it's a direct translation from English and isn't idiomatic.
Not in the positive: je pense que c'est vrai. In the negative or a question it usually does: je ne pense pas que ce soit vrai. Expressions of doubt, like je doute que, always take the subjunctive.
Acknowledge the other view first, then give yours: je comprends votre point de vue, mais je ne partage pas cet avis. With an examiner, keep vous and a calm tone, and give a reason straight after.
