Giving an opinion in French is more linguistically marked than in English. Where an English speaker can slide an assertion into conversation almost without flagging it — the new policy is a mistake — a French speaker is much likelier to frame the same idea explicitly as opinion: à mon avis, la nouvelle politique est une erreur. This is not optional politeness padding. In academic writing, classroom debate, op-ed columns, and even casual argument, French expects you to signal that what follows is your point of view, not a fact. Skipping the marker doesn't sound bold — it sounds either naive or dogmatic.
This page maps the full repertoire from cautious hedging (il me semble que…) to confident assertion (je suis convaincu que…), with the register, the syntax, and the situations each form fits. Master the gradient and you'll sound like someone whose opinions are worth listening to — which is the entire game.
À mon avis — the everyday default
The single most common French opinion marker is à mon avis — literally "in my opinion." It can open a sentence, close one, or slot in the middle. It works in any register from casual conversation to formal essay.
À mon avis, ce film est largement surestimé.
In my opinion, this film is hugely overrated.
Le problème, à mon avis, vient surtout du manque de communication.
The problem, in my view, mainly comes from the lack of communication.
C'est une bonne décision, à mon avis.
It's a good decision, in my opinion.
The structure is fixed: à mon avis never inflects, never agrees. The only variation is for other persons — à ton avis (informal "in your opinion"), à votre avis (formal/plural), à son avis (in his/her opinion). These are useful for soliciting opinions: à votre avis, qu'est-ce qu'on devrait faire ? — what do you think we should do?
Selon moi and d'après moi — slightly more formal
Selon moi ("according to me") and d'après moi ("according to me") are near-synonyms of à mon avis, with a marginally more formal flavour. Both are common in writing, journalism, and speech that is reaching for a touch of structure.
Selon moi, le gouvernement n'a pas pris la mesure du problème.
In my view, the government hasn't grasped the scale of the problem.
D'après moi, il vaudrait mieux attendre encore quelques mois.
In my opinion, it would be better to wait a few more months.
Selon moi, ce candidat est de loin le plus compétent.
In my opinion, this candidate is by far the most competent.
The two are interchangeable in most contexts. Selon has a faint authority-citing flavour (the same word introduces sources: selon Le Monde, selon le rapport), so selon moi can carry a subtle "as I see it from my position." D'après is slightly more casual but still works in writing.
Je pense que and je crois que — the verb-based opinions
The two most common verb-based opinion frames are je pense que and je crois que, both followed by an indicative clause. Je pense que is the workhorse — closest to English "I think." Je crois que literally means "I believe" but in opinion contexts it functions almost identically.
Je pense que tu devrais lui en parler directement.
I think you should talk to him about it directly.
Je crois que c'est la meilleure solution dans les circonstances.
I believe it's the best solution in the circumstances.
Je pense qu'on a fait le bon choix, malgré les critiques.
I think we made the right choice, despite the criticism.
A subtle distinction: je crois que often carries a faint epistemic shading — "I believe (and am open to being wrong)" — while je pense que is closer to a settled judgment. In practice, they're swapped freely.
A grammar trap to flag: je ne pense pas que and je ne crois pas que (the negative versions) trigger the subjunctive, because they introduce doubt rather than assertion.
Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne ce soir.
I don't think he'll come tonight.
Je ne crois pas que ce soit une bonne idée.
I don't think that's a good idea.
The positive form keeps the indicative (je pense qu'il vient); the negative flips to subjunctive (je ne pense pas qu'il vienne). See Doubt and Certainty for the full pattern, including how it extends to je ne crois pas que, je ne suis pas sûr que, and inverted questions.
Je trouve que — the experiential opinion
Je trouve que literally means "I find that" and is reserved for opinions grounded in personal experience or impression — aesthetic judgments, evaluations, reactions to things you've encountered.
Je trouve que ce restaurant est trop bruyant.
I find this restaurant too noisy.
Je trouve qu'elle a beaucoup mûri ces derniers mois.
I think she has matured a lot in the past few months.
Je trouve ça injuste, franchement.
I think that's unfair, honestly.
The third example illustrates a useful shortcut: je trouve ça + adjective ("I find that [adjective]") works without que and is extremely common in spoken French. Je trouve ça bien, je trouve ça nul, je trouve ça étrange — express reaction efficiently.
The key contrast with je pense que: je trouve implies you've experienced the thing and are judging it; je pense implies you've considered it and concluded. Je trouve que ce livre est ennuyeux (I've read it and judge it boring); je pense que ce livre va plaire (I predict it will please).
Personnellement — staking out your position
Personnellement ("personally") opens the speaker's view in a way that subtly contrasts it with what others might think. It's a useful marker when you want to signal "this is my take, others may differ."
Personnellement, je n'ai jamais aimé les films d'horreur.
Personally, I've never liked horror films.
Personnellement, je trouve que c'est une perte de temps.
Personally, I think it's a waste of time.
Personnellement, je préfère qu'on en parle en face à face.
Personally, I'd rather we discuss it face to face.
Personnellement almost always sits at the front of the sentence, set off by a comma. It pairs well with je pense, je trouve, je préfère — stacking opinion markers is normal in French and doesn't sound redundant.
Il me semble que — the polite hedge
Il me semble que ("it seems to me that") is the polite, slightly uncertain frame. It's a softer claim than je pense que — you're suggesting rather than asserting.
Il me semble que vous avez oublié de signer ce document.
It seems to me you've forgotten to sign this document.
Il me semble qu'on s'est déjà rencontrés quelque part.
It seems to me we've already met somewhere.
Il me semble qu'il y a une erreur dans le calcul.
It seems to me there's an error in the calculation.
The structure takes the indicative when affirmative — il me semble que tu as raison (I think you're right). With negation or interrogation, it triggers the subjunctive: il ne me semble pas que ce soit la bonne approche.
Il me semble que is invaluable in professional or polite contexts when you want to point out an error, disagree gently, or correct without seeming arrogant.
Hedging the opinion
Even after framing something as opinion, French often layers in additional hedges. These are not weakness — they're calibration tools that make your opinion sound considered rather than reflexive.
Je dirais que c'est plutôt une question de priorités.
I'd say it's more a question of priorities.
Cela dépend de la situation, évidemment.
It depends on the situation, obviously.
Je ne suis pas sûr, mais j'ai l'impression que ça va se calmer.
I'm not sure, but I have the feeling things will calm down.
Je n'ai pas d'avis très tranché là-dessus.
I don't have a strong opinion on that.
The most useful hedges to internalise:
- Je dirais que… — "I'd say…" — conditional softens the claim, leaves space for revision.
- Cela dépend de… / Ça dépend de… — "It depends on…" — flags that the answer is contextual; very common in French and rarely a cop-out.
- Je ne suis pas sûr(e), mais… — "I'm not sure, but…" — the explicit uncertainty is conventional, not weak.
- Je n'ai pas d'avis très tranché — "I don't have a strong opinion" — tranché (literally "sliced") here means "clear-cut" or "decided." Useful when pressed on something you genuinely haven't decided.
- J'ai l'impression que… — "I have the impression that…" — registers a subjective sense rather than a firm view.
Strong assertion
When you do want to commit firmly to an opinion, French has its own emphatic register. These constructions are not aggressive — they signal "I've considered this and I'm sure."
Je suis convaincu que cette stratégie est la bonne.
I'm convinced this strategy is the right one.
Pour moi, c'est clair : il faut tout recommencer.
For me, it's clear: we have to start over.
Je suis persuadée qu'on peut y arriver.
I'm certain we can pull it off.
Sans aucun doute, c'est la meilleure option.
Without any doubt, it's the best option.
The strong-assertion repertoire:
- Je suis convaincu(e) que… — "I'm convinced that…" — the most common emphatic frame. Note adjective agreement: convaincue for a feminine speaker.
- Je suis persuadé(e) que… — synonym, slightly more formal.
- Je suis certain(e) que… — "I'm certain that…" — affirms knowledge as much as opinion.
- Pour moi, c'est clair — "For me, it's clear" — punchy, stakes a position.
- Sans aucun doute / indubitablement (literary) — "without any doubt" / "indubitably."
- J'en suis sûr(e) — "I'm sure of it" — closes a statement firmly.
These trigger the indicative when affirmative: je suis sûr qu'il viendra. Negated, they take the subjunctive: je ne suis pas sûr qu'il vienne. The same indicative/subjunctive flip applies as for je pense que.
Soliciting opinions
Asking someone's opinion in French has its own conventions. The standard openers:
Qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
What do you think about it?
À votre avis, qu'est-ce qui serait la meilleure solution ?
In your opinion, what would be the best solution?
Tu as un avis sur la question ?
Do you have an opinion on the matter?
Comment vous voyez les choses ?
How do you see things?
Note the pronoun en in qu'est-ce que tu en penses — it refers back to the topic just discussed ("what do you think of it"). Forgetting en and saying qu'est-ce que tu penses ? sounds incomplete; the en is mandatory in this idiom.
Why French is more opinion-marked than English
Two reasons explain why French speakers signal opinions more explicitly than English speakers:
First, the French education system trains argument from primary school onward. The classic dissertation essay structure — thèse, antithèse, synthèse — requires that you label your position, consider the opposite, and synthesise. This habit carries into conversation: framing what you say as "my view" is normal, expected, even respected.
Second, and culturally, French interaction values la prise de position — the act of taking a stand. A speaker who never marks their views as views can come across as either uninformed or vague. By contrast, the explicit marker à mon avis signals that you've thought about it and are putting your name to a position — which is the conversational equivalent of confidence.
This means: when you write a French essay or argue in a French meeting, opinion markers are not filler. They're scaffolding. Use them generously.
Common Mistakes
❌ I think we should leave earlier.
English speakers often translate this as 'Je pense nous devrions partir plus tôt' — missing 'que'.
✅ Je pense qu'on devrait partir plus tôt.
I think we should leave earlier.
The conjunction que is mandatory after je pense, je crois, je trouve, il me semble. English drops "that" freely — French does not.
❌ Je ne pense pas qu'il vient ce soir.
Wrong mood — negation of opinion verbs triggers subjunctive.
✅ Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne ce soir.
I don't think he's coming tonight.
The negative form je ne pense pas que requires the subjunctive (vienne, not vient). This trap catches even advanced learners.
❌ Selon moi opinion, c'est une bonne idée.
Redundant — selon moi already means 'in my opinion'.
✅ Selon moi, c'est une bonne idée.
In my opinion, it's a good idea.
Don't stack selon moi with opinion or avis — selon already supplies that meaning. Same trap with à mon avis — never à mon avis je pense que (pleonasm).
❌ Qu'est-ce que tu penses ?
Incomplete — needs the pronoun en when responding to a previous topic.
✅ Qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
What do you think about it?
When asking someone's opinion on something just mentioned, en is mandatory. Qu'est-ce que tu penses ? on its own only works if followed by a clause: qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce film ?
❌ Personnellement, je ne sais pas, peut-être.
Hedge stack that signals no opinion at all — sounds evasive in French.
✅ Je n'ai pas d'avis très tranché — il y a des arguments des deux côtés.
I don't have a strong opinion — there are arguments on both sides.
If you genuinely don't have a view, the conventional French way to say so is je n'ai pas d'avis tranché, not a string of hesitations. The hedge phrase is itself a clear position ("I'm undecided"), which French expects.
Key takeaways
French opinion-giving is a register skill, not just vocabulary. The minimum repertoire to sound natural at B1 and beyond:
- One default frame — à mon avis or je pense que — for everyday assertions.
- One hedge — il me semble que or je dirais que — for when you're less sure.
- One emphatic — je suis convaincu que or pour moi c'est clair — for committed positions.
- The negation rule: je ne pense pas que takes subjunctive.
- The cultural rule: marking opinions as opinions is the norm, not the exception.
Get those five elements working and you can argue, debate, and discuss in French without sounding either dogmatic or evasive.
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Start learning French→Related Topics
- Exprimer son Opinion: structuresB1 — French has a rich system of opinion-expressing structures, each with its own register and grammatical consequence — including a critical mood shift between affirmed and negated belief verbs.
- Accord et DésaccordB1 — How to agree and disagree in French — from oui and tout à fait through je suis d'accord, au contraire, and pas du tout — with the formality scale, the unique si that contradicts a negative, and the cultural fact that French expects much more explicit disagreement than English.
- Exprimer le Doute et la CertitudeB2 — How French speakers calibrate confidence — the certainty expressions (je suis sûr, sans aucun doute, évidemment), the doubt expressions that trigger the subjunctive (je doute que, il se peut que), the inferential devoir construction, and the negation/question shift that flips indicative to subjunctive.
- Subjunctive after Doubt and UncertaintyB2 — Doubt, uncertainty, and the negation or questioning of belief verbs trigger the French subjunctive — turning je crois qu'il vient (indicative) into je ne crois pas qu'il vienne (subjunctive).
- Donner son OpinionB1 — How to give an opinion in French — from the workhorse à mon avis and je pense que through the hedging répertoire (il me semble, je dirais, ça dépend) and the strong assertion forms (je suis convaincu, pour moi c'est clair) — with the cultural fact that French speakers signal opinions far more explicitly than English speakers.
- Politeness Strategies in FrenchA2 — The full toolkit for sounding polite in French — conditional softeners, indirect requests, formulaic greetings, and the explicit markers that English speakers consistently underuse.