Expressing one’s opinion. Asking somebody’s opinion. Esperanto as a World Language. A Conversation

 Opinion

Expressing one’s opinion:

I think (that)/ I thought (that)

I believe (that)

I feel (that)    ( more emotional)

I consider (that) ( formal, semi- formal)

In my opinion / To my mind  ( emphatic)

If you ask me (colloquial)

As for me...(col)

Personally,...(col)

Asking somebody’s opinion

What do you think of/ about...?

What do you feel about...?

What is your opinion of/ about...?

Illustrative dialogues

Esperanto as a World Language

Adrian:  What do you think about Esperanto?

Philip:  I don’t believe it will ever become a world language.

A:  Why? Lots of people are learning it.

P:  Not compared to those who are learning «real» languages. It’s too artificial.

A:  You’ve got a point there. But on the other hand, it’s much easier to learn than other languages, much more systematic.

P:  That’s certainly an advantage, of course, but there’s no incentive to learn it as long as so few people speak it. You can’t use it at international conferences, for example.

A:  I think it should be taught at schools.

P:  Do you really?  In my opinion there are quite enough subjects on the school curriculum already.

A Conversation

Alan:  I think Irish Murdoch is one of the best modern English novelists.

Bob:  So do I. Her books are really fascinating.

Joy:  They’re certainly clever, but I find them too far-fetched. I mean the plots.

Bob:  But she doesn’t try to be realistic. In my opinion the plots are brilliantly constructed. And the characters are always interesting.

Alan: I agree.

Joy:  But they are so strange, not at all like real people.

Bob:  They aren’t supposed to be realistic. Besides, there’s a lot of symbolism in her books.

Joy:  If you ask me, most of it is just pretentious rubbish.

Alan:  Well, you are quite entitled to your own opinion, but I still think she is a very good writer.