YouTube_21 more advanced alternative phrases for 'I think...'
Hello, Everyone. And welcome back to English with Lucy. Today, I'm going to give you 21 advanced alternatives for 'I think'.
I think... I think... is very boring, overused, and it's just repetitive. In debates; in English classes; in conversation, we are always asked to give our opinion. And more often than not, I hear my students saying: "I think... blah blah blah..."; "I think... blah blah blah..."; "I don't think... blah blah blah...".
If you really want to show you have an incredible and profound, and advanced vocabulary, then you need to find some other ways of saying 'I think so'. I have got 21 advanced alternatives ranging from formal to informal. So this video is really going to help you with your vocabulary, but if you want to improve your listening skills and your pronunciation skills even further, then I highly recommend the special method of reading an actual book whilst listening to the audiobook version on Audible.
It might sound complicated, but it's not, and it helped so many of my English students. What you have to do is take a book that you have already read in English or a book that you would like to read in English. I've got loads of recommendations down below in the description box, and read it whilst listening to the audiobook version on Audible. So as you are reading the words, you are also hearing the words. Reading alone will not help you with your pronunciation. English is not a strictly phonetic language, the way a word is spelled or written in English might not give you any indication as to how it is pronounced.
If you listen to a word as you read it, your brain will start making connections, and next time you see that word, you'll know exactly how it's meant to sound, how it's pronounced. And the next time you hear that word, you'll know exactly how it's spelled, or written. It is such an effective method, and the best part is you can get one free audiobook as a 30-day trial on Audible. All you've got to do is click on the link in the description box, and sign up.
Right, let's get started with the lesson.
1. I'm not gonna lie, ... / NGL
Number one is an informal one: "I'm not going to lie, ..." or, "I'm not gonna lie, ...". I've got a video on wanna and gonna. It's a very helpful one actually, "I'm not gonna lie, ..." sometimes just shortened down to "Not Gonna Lie" or abbreviated to NGL. So if we're texting, NGL, and the our opinion.
An example: (i.e., I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty insulted to not be invited to my ex-boyfriend's wedding. )
2. in all honesty, ...
Number two is "in all honesty, ...". This is very commonly used nowadays. And I would say it's leaning towards informal.
An example: (i.e., In all honesty, I had every right to be there. )
3. in my view, ...
Number three is, "In my view, ...". And this one is slightly more formal, actually.
Another example: (i.e., In my view, I should've been invited so it was totally fair for me to turn up on the day.)
4. if you ask me, ...
Number four is, "If you ask me, ..."
An example: (i.e., If you ask me, the church service was wonderful, but it was a shame I had to stand at the back.)
5. as far as I can tell, ...
Number five is, "As far as I can tell, ...". These past two have been fairly neutral, neither informal nor formal.
An example: (i.e., As far as I can tell, the bride wasn't really expecting me.)
6. to my mind, ...
Number six is, "To my mind, ...". And this just means to me, but we're talking about our brain rather than ourselves, and it is more formal.
An example: (i.e., To my mind, she should've been happier to see me and receive my support.)
7. as far as I'm concerned, ...
Number seven, again, slightly more formal, "As far as I'm concerned, ...".
An example: (i.e., As far as I'm concerned, she totally overreacted and shouldn't have cried.)
8. the way I see things/it, ...
Number eight, "The way I see things, ..." or "The way I see it, ...". You can use either/or.
An example: (i.e., The way I see things, I made the family photographs a lot more interesting.)
9. as I see things/it, ...
An alternative, "As I see things, ..." or "As I see it, ..."
An example: (i.e., As I see it, they obviously didn't take me into consideration when drawing up the seating plans.)
Now you might have noticed there’s a bit of story going on through the examples, which I think is quite… fun? Ehahahaha
And, but you might need a little bit more explanation about British weddings, we always have a seating plan. So we’ll have a list of all the table names for the meal, and it’s called the seating plan. And everyone is put in a certain spot, and we have our name on the table. And we use drawing up because of the phrasal verb to draw up normally a plan, or a document. It means to write and prepare a document or plan.
10. it seems to me that …
Now number ten is, “It seems to me that, …”. Quite a neutral one, maybe leaning on formal.
An example: (i.e., It seems to me that everyone overreacted when I tried to sit at the top table.)
Now, another bit of info for you on British weddings. There is often a top table. Most weddings have round tables, and all the guests will sit on round tables. But there is a big long table, a bit higher up, overlooking all of the other guests, where the bride, the groom, two people getting married, and their families, sit. So it’s the most important people, and the bride’s men, and the groomsmen as well.
[ps. Top table: Traditionally, the top table is the table at the head of the reception room where the newlywed, their parents, the best man and the maid of honor.]
11. I believe …
Number eleven, “I believe …”. This is just a really good alternative for ‘I think’, if you (snaps fingers) in a pinch, and you want to say I think, and you don’t know what else to say, just say, “I believe, …”.
An example: (i.e., I believe that they should have just made space for me in the first place.)
12. I would say/I’d say …
Number twelve is, “I would say …”. Or shortened down to, “I’d say, …”
An example: (i.e., I’d say the food was very good, but it was a shame I had to share with my neighbour.)
Now, you might know the word neighbour as someone who lives next to you. If you are sitting at a table, and you might also say the world neighbour. Your teacher might say it when you’re sitting at a desk:”Swap your answers with your neighbours. (Swap your answers with the person next to you.)”
13. I consider …
Number thirteen, “I consider …”. “I consider, …” normally followed by something, then “to be”. “I consider smth to be.”
An example: (i.e., I consider it to be very rude that I was forced to sit down when I stoop up to make a speech.)
14. to me, …
Number fourteen is, “To me, …”. Just another way of saying, “in my opinion”.
An example: (i.e., To me, no one knows my ex better than I do so I should’ve been able to tell all of his funny stories.)
OMG, can you imagine, can you imagine if this happened at your wedding? My wedding is coming up, I’m eh. I don’t think we have any crazy exes, … yet? What… what do I mean by yet? Hahahahahaha Carry on, Lucy, carry on.
15. from my point of view, …
Number fifteen is, “From my point of view, …”. This again is slightly more formal, but can be used in both informal and formal situations.
An example: (i.e., From my point of view, the first dance was cringe-worthy so I did everyone a favour by joining in.)
Part of our wedding culture, is to have a first dance together and everyone watches, and after that, everyone can join in, but after they have finished, or if they have said:"come in.", you do not butt in the first dance. Ehhhhh
16. it is my view that …
Number sixteen is, “It is my view that …”, or “It is my belief that, …”. Both are more or less the same.
An example: (i.e., It is my view that the open bar made everything worse.)
Now, a bit of extra info, an open bar is something you really hope is at a wedding that you’r attending. It’s when the bar is already paid for. You don’t have to pay anything at that bar. I’d say probably thirty seventy (30/70) at weddings in the U.K., you’re most likely to have an open bar. But it just depends on the couple’s financial situation. It’s typical for the parents of the bride, of the lady getting married, to pay for the wedding. But if they’re not in a good financial situation, or maybe the bride and the groom are funding it themselves, they might not be in a position to offer an open bar.
17. I reckon …
Number seventeen is a very slang one, it’s “I reckon …”. And I think that this is a very British one. If any Americans are watching, can you let me know, do you use reckon in your dialect?
An example: (i.e., I reckon the sixth gin and tonic tipped me over the edge.)
[ps. To tip smone over the edge is to make smone either really sad, or a bit crazy. To be tipped over the edge is to go into a mental or emotional state that makes smone completely lose control.] So I might have been, you know, tipsy or merry up until the sixth gin and tonic, and then it was that sixth one that tipped me over the edge and made me downright crazy.
18. I honestly believe that …
Number eighteen is, “I honestly believe that…”.
An example: (i.e., I honestly believe that if I hadn’t started cutting the cake, no one would have.) In your culture, does the bride and groom have the first cut of the wedding cake together? Quite an important part of the day.
19. honestly speaking, …
Nineteen is, “Honestly speaking, …”. And this one is informal.
An example: (i.e., Honestly speaking, I probably shouldn’t have thrown my slice at the bride.)
20. I feel that … / I feel …
Number twenty is, “I feel that … / I feel …”. And that’s another good one-word alternative for think just like believe. (I feel, I think, I believe.)
An example: (i.e., I feel that my ex could have found a more welcoming bride with a better sense of humour.)
21. Personally speaking, …
And number twenty-one, the last one, this is, again, quite neutral, it’s “Personally speaking, …”.
An example: (i.e., Personally speaking, calling the police was a bit OTT.)
[ps. OTT - Over the top (to an excessive or exaggerated degree)] OTT means ‘Over The Top’, too much, over the top. We often shorten it down to OTT.
Right, that is it for today’s lesson. This is a new format, it just came to me whilst I was looking at all of these words and phrases. And I just though it would be really really fun if we could follow the ridiculous story through all of the examples. Did you enjoy it? Did it make you stay to the end? Well, if you’re watching this, it did. Let me know your feedback in the description box.
I’d happy do it again because I had a lot of fun writing it, especially though that my wedding is coming up this year.
Don’t forget to check out Audible, you can claim your free audio book by clicking on the link in the description box.
And don’t forget to connect with me on all of my social media. I’ve got my Facebook, my Instagram, my Twitter. And my personal channel ‘Lucy Bella Earl’, where I talk about everything that isn’t related to English. I will see you soon for another lesson.
