How to express opinions politely in English | Learn English with Cambridge

Hello, everyone.

My name is Andres Herrera.

All of us have opinions on different topics,

and sometimes we just don’t agree with other people.

But how can we express our ideas without being rude?

Stay tuned.

What did you do at the weekend?

I didn’t do anything. I was just at home… Gooaaaallll!

Arghh, team supporters are always so noisy.

Uncomfortable, isn’t it?

This is another sentence

you can use if you want to sound more polite:

Tend to be a bit + adjective.

For example: Generally speaking,

football fans tend to be a bit noisy

when they are watching football.

What did you do at the weekend?

Oh, I didn’t do anything,

I was at home and… Generally speaking,

football fans tend to be a bit noisy

when they’re watching football.

Notice that the second time I

used Generally Speaking and Tend to Be,

to sound less offensive.

Do you like children?

Oh no, I don’t like them at all.

They’re so spoiled and stubborn.

Mum, I want to play.

And the last sentence we’re going to use is:

They can be + adjective + at times.

For example: Some children can be stubborn at times.

Do you like children?

Yes, I do like children,

but they can be stubborn at times.

Notice that the second time I used

children can be stubborn

instead of saying that children are stubborn.

This makes a big difference when expressing opinions.

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Bye.