Stating an opinion is one of the first things every speaker of Portuguese does all day long — in coffee shops, in WhatsApp groups, in meetings, in the comments section under a football match. European Portuguese has a much wider inventory of opinion-marking phrases than English, and — more importantly — the mood of the verb can flip depending on which marker you choose and whether it is negated. This is not a cosmetic detail; choosing the wrong mood after não acho que is one of the most recognisable markers of a non-native speaker.
This page will guide you from the everyday phrases you need at A2 to the register-appropriate choices that separate B2 writers from the rest. It will also flag the PT-PT-specific forms — eu cá, cá para mim, penso eu — that simply do not exist in Brazilian Portuguese.
Basic opinion markers — the A2 core
These are the phrases every learner should command by the end of A2. They all introduce a subjective claim and are followed by a clause with que.
| Marker | Literal meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| acho que | I find that / I think that | most common conversational opener |
| penso que | I think that | slightly more deliberate than acho que |
| creio que | I believe that | neutral to mildly formal |
| julgo que | I judge / reckon that | considered, thoughtful |
| suponho que | I suppose that | tentative, introduces inference |
| imagino que | I imagine that | speculative |
| parece-me que | it seems to me that | mildly hedged |
| diria que | I would say that | softened, conditional |
| tenho a impressão de que | I have the impression that | hedged, often introduces a suspicion |
| na minha opinião | in my opinion | neutral, slightly more emphatic |
Acho que vai chover à tarde — é melhor levarmos o guarda-chuva.
I think it's going to rain this afternoon — we'd better take the umbrella.
Na minha opinião, este restaurante é o melhor da zona.
In my opinion, this restaurant is the best in the area.
Parece-me que a Joana está chateada contigo, mas posso estar enganado.
It seems to me that Joana is upset with you, but I could be wrong.
The mood trap — acho que vs não acho que
Here is where learners coming from English stumble. Acho que (affirmative belief) takes the indicative. Não acho que (denied belief, i.e. doubt) takes the subjunctive. The same flip applies to penso que / não penso que, creio que / não creio que, and so on.
Acho que ele tem razão.
I think he's right. (indicative — I commit to the truth of the clause)
Não acho que ele tenha razão.
I don't think he's right. (subjunctive — the clause is in doubt)
Penso que o filme é bom.
I think the film is good. (indicative)
Não penso que o filme seja bom.
I don't think the film is good. (subjunctive)
The underlying logic is the one that runs through the entire Portuguese subjunctive system: when the speaker asserts the content of the que-clause as real, the indicative appears. When the speaker denies, doubts, or wishes it, the subjunctive takes over. Negating achar/pensar/crer removes the assertion, so the complement slides into the subjunctive.
Parece-me que and tenho a impressão de que behave slightly differently: they already carry a hedge, and the affirmative form reliably takes the indicative. The negated forms are rare in natural speech.
Formal and written markers
In essays, reports, and formal opinion pieces, the colloquial acho que can read as too casual. Use these instead:
A meu ver, a proposta ignora as consequências económicas a longo prazo.
To my mind, the proposal ignores the long-term economic consequences.
Em meu entender, este diagnóstico é parcialmente correto, mas insuficiente.
In my understanding, this diagnosis is partly correct, but insufficient.
Do meu ponto de vista, a questão é essencialmente política, não técnica.
From my point of view, the issue is essentially political, not technical.
Na minha perspetiva, o artigo falha em distinguir causa e correlação.
From my perspective, the article fails to distinguish cause from correlation.
Note the PT-PT spelling perspetiva — no c before t (the 1990 Orthographic Agreement dropped it). Brazilian keeps perspectiva.
Hedged and subjective markers — including the PT-PT classics
These mark a stance as personal, often emphasising that you are not speaking for others. Several are distinctly Portuguese and will not be heard in São Paulo.
Eu cá não gosto nada deste governo — mas cada um tem as suas ideias.
Me, personally, I don't like this government at all — but to each their own.
Cá para mim, ele está a esconder qualquer coisa.
If you ask me, he's hiding something.
Pessoalmente, não me importava nada de passar férias na Madeira.
Personally, I wouldn't mind at all spending a holiday in Madeira.
Para mim, o segredo está no azeite — sem bom azeite não há boa comida portuguesa.
For me, the secret is in the olive oil — without good olive oil there's no good Portuguese food.
Eu cá and cá para mim are two of the most unmistakably Lisboeta/Northern phrases in the language. Cá literally means "here," and these phrases mean something like "over on my side of things." They signal that the speaker is not attempting to give an objective view — they are planting a personal flag. A Brazilian would use pra mim or na minha.
Assertive markers — stating confidence
When you want to stake the opposite claim — that you are not merely offering an opinion but making an assertion — Portuguese has a parallel set:
Tenho a certeza de que ela vem ao jantar.
I'm certain she's coming to dinner.
Sem dúvida, este é o melhor livro que li este ano.
Without a doubt, this is the best book I've read this year.
Claramente, houve um erro de cálculo no relatório.
Clearly, there was a miscalculation in the report.
Decididamente, não volto àquele restaurante — a comida estava má e o serviço pior.
I'm definitely not going back to that restaurant — the food was bad and the service worse.
Assertive markers take the indicative without exception: if you are certain, you assert, and assertion triggers indicative. Saying Tenho a certeza de que ela venha would be a grammatical error.
Disclaimers and softeners
A polite Portuguese speaker often prefaces a strong opinion with a softener. These are deeply conventionalised:
Com o devido respeito, acho que o colega está enganado nesta questão.
With all due respect, I think our colleague is mistaken on this point.
Sinceramente, não me parece uma boa ideia.
Honestly, it doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
Sem querer ser o advogado do diabo, e se estiverem ambos errados?
Not wanting to play devil's advocate, but what if you're both wrong?
Asking for an opinion
The flip side of expressing opinions is soliciting them:
Qual é a tua opinião sobre isto?
What's your opinion on this?
O que é que achas?
What do you think?
O que pensas desta proposta?
What do you think of this proposal?
Concordas com ela ou não?
Do you agree with her or not?
Note the characteristic PT-PT o que é que… reinforcement of a question — dropping the é que is fine but sounds slightly more clipped.
Stacking — what's natural, what's clumsy
Portuguese tolerates some stacking of opinion markers, but not all combinations sound natural.
- Natural: Pessoalmente, acho que... (a personal frame + a belief verb)
- Natural: Sinceramente, na minha opinião... (an adverbial softener + a noun phrase)
- Clumsy: Na minha opinião, parece-me que... (two hedging phrases piled on each other — redundant)
- Clumsy: Acho que penso que... (two belief verbs; pick one)
Pessoalmente, acho que a proposta é boa, mas precisa de ajustes.
Personally, I think the proposal is good, but it needs adjustments.
❌ Na minha opinião, parece-me que a proposta é boa.
Redundant — both phrases mark the same stance.
Register-at-a-glance
| Register | Typical markers |
|---|---|
| Colloquial / spoken | acho que, para mim, cá para mim, eu cá, penso que, pronto acho que |
| Neutral / written | na minha opinião, creio que, julgo que, parece-me que |
| Formal / academic | a meu ver, em meu entender, na minha perspetiva, do meu ponto de vista |
| Assertive | tenho a certeza de que, sem dúvida, claramente, decididamente |
Comparison with English
English operates with a smaller core — "I think," "in my opinion," "to me" — and leans on tone and context for nuance. Portuguese encodes more nuance lexically: acho (intuitive), penso (reflective), julgo (evaluative), creio (with a faint trace of belief/faith), suponho (inferential). English speakers therefore have to learn that penso que and acho que are not perfectly interchangeable — the first is slightly more deliberate.
English also lacks anything resembling eu cá or cá para mim. The closest approximation is the self-demoting British personally, me, I reckon…, but the Portuguese construction is tighter and more emotionally anchored.
Common mistakes
❌ Não acho que ele tem razão.
Incorrect — *não acho que* triggers the subjunctive.
✅ Não acho que ele tenha razão.
I don't think he's right.
❌ Eu penso isso é verdade.
Incorrect — *pensar* in the opinion sense requires *que*.
✅ Eu penso que isso é verdade.
I think that's true.
❌ Tenho a certeza que ela venha.
Incorrect — certainty triggers the indicative, not the subjunctive.
✅ Tenho a certeza de que ela vem.
I'm sure she's coming.
❌ No meu ver, o plano é bom.
Incorrect — the fixed phrase is *a meu ver*, not *no meu ver*.
✅ A meu ver, o plano é bom.
To my mind, the plan is good.
❌ Na minha opinião, parece-me que devemos esperar.
Redundant — one opinion marker is enough.
✅ Parece-me que devemos esperar.
It seems to me that we should wait.
Key takeaways
- Lead with acho que in speech. It is the neutral workhorse.
- Negation flips the mood. Acho que + indicative, não acho que + subjunctive.
- PT-PT markers are distinctive. Eu cá, cá para mim, penso eu give you a Portuguese, not a Brazilian, feel.
- Match register. A meu ver for essays, acho que for cafés.
- Do not stack opinion phrases. One marker per clause is plenty.
Related Topics
- Conclusion MarkersB1 — How to close an argument, summarise key points, and draw a final conclusion in European Portuguese — from academic *em conclusão* to colloquial *pronto*.
- Emphasis MarkersB1 — How to stress that something is true, genuine, or factual — from the everyday *realmente* and *na verdade* to the clefted *foi ele que...*, plus the distinctively PT-PT *de facto*.
- Concession MarkersB1 — How to say 'although', 'even though', 'despite', and 'nonetheless' in European Portuguese — from subjunctive-triggering *embora* to the discourse adverbs *mesmo assim* and *ainda assim*.
- Expressing OpinionsA2 — The full repertoire of European Portuguese opinion formulas — from tentative *acho que* to formal *na minha perspetiva* — plus the crucial mood rule that flips between indicative and subjunctive when the belief verb is negated.