Opinions: Agreeing & Disagreeing
Opinions: Agreeing & Disagreeing
Expressing and reacting to opinions is a core conversational and exam skill at B1 — moving beyond a simple 'je pense que' into a fuller toolkit for agreeing, disagreeing, and nuancing a position.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
je pense que + indicatif (not subjonctif) — because these express certainty
À mon avis, c'est une bonne idée. / Je pense que tu as raison.
In my opinion, it's a good idea. / I think you're right.
The choice of indicatif here is worth flagging early: at B2 (lesson 40) you'll learn that negated or questioned opinion verbs (je ne pense pas que..., penses-tu que...?) switch the following clause to subjonctif, because negating or questioning an opinion introduces doubt. English 'I think' never triggers any comparable mood change on the following clause no matter how the sentence is phrased — so this is a preview of a genuinely new category French grammar has and English doesn't: verbs whose following clause changes mood depending on certainty.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| à mon avis | ah mohn ah-VEE | in my opinion |
| selon moi | suh-LOHN mwah | according to me |
| je pense que | zhuh pahns kuh | I think that |
| je trouve que | zhuh troov kuh | I find that |
| je suis d'accord | zhuh swee dah-KOR | I agree |
| je ne suis pas d'accord | zhuh nuh swee pah dah-KOR | I disagree |
| tout à fait | too tah FEH | absolutely / completely |
| pas du tout | pah du TOO | not at all |
| avoir raison | ah-vwar reh-ZOHN | to be right |
| avoir tort | ah-vwar tor | to be wrong |
| au contraire | oh kon-TRAIR | on the contrary |
| d'un côté...de l'autre côté | duhn koh-TAY...duh LOH-truh koh-TAY | on one hand...on the other hand |
| ça dépend | sah day-PAHN | it depends |
| franchement | frahn-shuh-MAHN | frankly |