DO NOT SAY ‘I THINK’! Try These 15 Phrases Instead (Vocabulary Lesson)

Lesson summary

Do you always say 'I think'? Try these 15 phrases instead and sound like a native English speaker today!

Video transcript

I think. I think. I think. This is one of the most common phrases in English but did you know that there are actually many different ways to say ‘I think’?

 

What’s up guys? My name is Shane and in today’s video, you are going to learn 15 ways to say ‘I think’. Are you ready? Let’s go.

 

Phrase #1

The first phrase is ‘I reckon’. ‘I reckon’ is a very informal phrase which just means ‘I think’. It’s used a lot in Australia and sometimes in England as well. An example sentence could be ‘I reckon it’s going to rain today.’

 

Phrase #2

The second phrase is ‘in my opinion’. An opinion is just a thought or a belief. So this phrase just means ‘my thought is …’ It’s a little bit formal and it’s not normally used between friends. And an example sentence could be ‘In my opinion, pizza is the best food in the world.’

 

Phrase #3

The third phrase is ‘I guess’. ‘I guess’ just means you’re not 100% sure but you’re just saying what you think or what you think will happen. It’s an informal phrase and an example could be ‘I guess we’re going to the party tonight.’ This means you’re not 100% sure but you’ll probably go.

 

Phrase #4

The fourth phrase is ‘I believe’. Believe means to think that something is true. It’s a little bit formal and it’s not normally used in informal situations. An example sentence could be ‘I believe that the best way to learn English is by watching English Understood on YouTube.’

 

Phrase #5

The fifth phrase is ‘I feel’. ‘I feel’ means you have a feeling about what you think. Maybe you have no reason to think that way but you have a feeling inside of you. ‘I feel’ can be used in formal and informal situations. And an example sentence could be ‘I feel that 2021 is going to be a great year.’ Maybe you have no reason to think that but you just have a feeling inside of you.

 

Phrase #6

And phrase number six is ‘in my view’. ‘View’ means the same as ‘opinion’. But ‘in my view’ is more formal than ‘in my opinion’. So this phrase is not normally used between friends. An example sentence could be ‘In my view, I think climate change is a big problem.’

 

Phrase #7

The seventh phrase is ‘from my perspective’. ‘Perspective’ means a way of thinking, a way of seeing something. For example, I am an English and a native English speaker.

 

So I look at English differently from someone who is learning English because I am looking at English from the eyes of a teacher. But people who are learning English are looking at English from the eyes of a learner. An example sentence could be ‘From my perspective, learning English to use English like a native speaker is the best way to learn.’

 

Phrase #8

The eighth phrase is ‘the way I see it’. ‘The way I see it’ means from where you are looking, how does it look? What are your thoughts and opinions on it?

 

For example, if you were looking from here, what does it look like? What are your thoughts? If you are looking from here, what does it look like? What are your thoughts? This is a more formal phrase and it’s not normally used between friends. An example sentence could be ‘The way I see it, it was a good decision.’

 

Phrase #9

The ninth phrase is ‘it seems to me that …’ This is similar to the last phrase. It means from where you are looking, what do you think? What can you see? What are your thoughts? What are your opinions? It’s also a more formal phrase And an example sentence could be ‘It seems to me that he is a good person.’

 

Phrase #10

The tenth phrase is ‘as far as I’m concerned’. This is a more formal phrase and it just means ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’. And it can sometimes be used to disagree with someone. So for example, let’s pretend someone says, ‘Climate change isn’t a big problem.’ You can say, ‘As far as I’m concerned, it is a big problem.’

 

Phrase #11

The eleventh phrase is ‘I would say’. This means if you ask my opinion about something, ‘I think that …’ This phrase can also be used to show that you’re not really sure about something. It can be used in informal and formal situations. An example sentence could be ‘I would say that learning English is easy.’

 

Phrase #12

The twelfth phrase is ‘I consider’. ‘I consider’ means that you have strong thoughts or feelings about something. It’s more of a formal phrase and not normally used between friends. An example sentence could be ‘I consider eating vegetables to be very important.’

 

Phrase #13

The thirteenth phrase is ‘from my point of view’. This is similar to the phrase ‘from my perspective’. It means from where you are, what do you see? What do you feel? What do you think? It’s a more formal phrase and an example sentence could be ‘From my point of view, you can’t win this game.’

 

Phrase #14

The fourteenth phrase is ‘as far as I can tell’. This phrase is used when you have information about something and then with that information, you make an opinion about something. You look at something and then you make an opinion about it. An example sentence could be ‘As far as I can tell, you’re not losing weight because you’re eating too many hamburgers.’

 

Phrase #15

The fifteenth and final phrase is ‘if you ask me’. This phrase means exactly what it sounds like. If you ask me, ‘I think that …’ This phrase can be used in informal and formal situations. And an example sentence could be ‘If you ask me, that dress looks good on you.’

 

Conclusion

That is the end of the video today. If you’re interested in more videos about different ways to say common phrases, check out this video right here. If you liked the video, hit like. If you haven’t subscribed already, subscribe right now.

 

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