Best Ways to Express Your Opinion Without Saying “I” [Updated]

Did you know that you can say “I think” without using the pronoun “I”? This can help you sound more professional in your conversations.

This time, we'll take a look at five phrases you can use instead.

1. It seems …

If you're on a call with someone and the line starts breaking up, you might say:

Sorry, but it seems like my line is breaking up.

Here’s another example from our IELTS (test prep) lessons:

“It seems probable” means “From what I can tell, I think it is probable.” As you can see, you can use “It seems (that) + [clause]” or “It seems + [adjective].” 

These are some of the most common adjectives that follow “It seems”:

1. likely
2. unlikely
3. clear
4. obvious
5. reasonable
6. odd
7. impossible
8. strange
9. logical
10. appropriate

Here are some more examples of “It seems + [adjective]” in action:

It seems unlikely that it will rain tomorrow.

It seems clear that the project will go ahead as planned.

It seems impossible, but it's not!

In addition to “It seems,” you’ll also hear people say “It appears” (slightly more formal), “It seems to me,” and simply “Seems” (very informal).

It appears to be a pretty popular place to eat.

It seems to me that we need to rethink our strategy.

Seems fine to me.

2. It sounds …

In many cases, “It sounds” and “It seems” are interchangeable. However, while “It seems” is used for opinions on general observations, “It sounds” is only for opinions on things you read or heard about. 

For example, if you're talking about a new game, you could say either of the following:

• A friend told me about this game. It sounds fun!
• A friend told me about this game. It seems fun!

However, if you directly saw someone playing the game yourself, you would say “It seems fun” not “It sounds fun.”

Another difference is that “It sounds” is more common in short phrases like “It sounds great!” and “It sounds good!” Here are some adjectives it’s often used with:

1. simple 
2. crazy 
3. better 
4. silly 
5. weird 
6. amazing 
7. obvious
8. strange 
9. easy 
10. awesome

Examples:

John's idea sounds silly, but it just might work.

From the reviews I read, the movie sounds strange, but I'm curious to see it.

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3. Judging from …

Use “Judging from” to say what your observation is based on. In other words, the statement you're making is the result of something else you've seen or heard. For example: 

Judging from your social media posts, it seems like you had fun in China!

Judging from the look on her face, I knew that Sally didn’t like the pasta I made her.

Judging from the questions he asked, he doesn’t seem to know anything about programming.

4. Perhaps

"Perhaps” is another way to say “maybe.” But did you know that it can also be used at the start of a sentence as a gentler way of saying “I think”? It’s often used to suggest reasons for something.

Perhaps they're late because the bad weather is affecting the traffic.

Besides suggesting reasons, you can also use “Perhaps” any way you’d use “I think.”

Perhaps it would be better if you got another job.

Perhaps the best solution is to use their strategy against them.

5. It might/could be that …

Another way to say “I think it’s possible that” is to say “It might be that” or “It could be that.” These phrases are often used to suggest reasons for something that’s a bit complicated. 

For example, if your phone suddenly stops working, someone might say the following:

It might be that it’s low on battery.

It could be that it’s old. You’ve been using it for six years already!

Or if a friend seems irritated recently, you might say the following to another friend.

It could be that he’s burnt out from work.

It might be that he’s still recovering from his breakup.

Try it yourself

Judging from your interest in this blog post, you probably want to improve your English conversation skills. Why not book an online English lesson with an Engoo tutor?

Make sure to request a lesson using our free news and discussion materials. You’ll have many chances to use the phrases covered in this post!

• advanced English
• other ways to say
• politeness