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Functional Skill: Expressing Opinions, Agreement, Disagreement (with Nuance)

Functional Skill: Expressing Opinions, Agreement, Disagreement (with Nuance) (B1)

This B1 functional language skill involves learning phrases and structures to express personal views, and to agree or disagree with others, moving beyond simple "yes" or "no" responses towards more nuanced communication.

Scope:

Covers set phrases and grammatical structures for polite and clear expression in discussions.

  1. Expressing Opinions:
  • Simple:
  • Ik vind dat... (I find that... / I think that... - followed by subordinate clause)
  • Example: Ik vind dat het een goed idee is. (I think that it's a good idea.)
  • Ik denk dat... (I think that... - followed by subordinate clause)
  • Example: Ik denk dat hij gelijk heeft. (I think that he is right.)
  • Volgens mij... (According to me... / In my opinion... - followed by main clause word order, often inversion if starting sentence)
  • Example: Volgens mij is dit de beste oplossing. (In my opinion, this is the best solution.)
  • More Nuanced/Formal:
  • Naar mijn mening... (In my opinion... - similar to Volgens mij)
  • Ik ben van mening dat... (I am of the opinion that... - more formal)
  • Het lijkt mij dat... (It seems to me that...)
  • Voor zover ik weet,... (As far as I know,...)
  1. Expressing Agreement:
  • Strong Agreement:
  • Ja, dat vind ik ook. (Yes, I think so too.)
  • Ja, daar ben ik het (helemaal) mee eens. (Yes, I (completely) agree with that.)
  • Precies! / Inderdaad! (Exactly! / Indeed!)
  • Dat klopt. (That's right / That's correct.)
  • Je hebt (helemaal) gelijk. (You are (totally) right.)
  • Partial Agreement:
  • Ja, dat is waar, maar... (Yes, that's true, but...)
  • Ik ben het gedeeltelijk met je eens. (I partly agree with you.)
  • Aan de ene kant..., aan de andere kant... (On the one hand..., on the other hand...)
  1. Expressing Disagreement:
  • Direct (Can sound abrupt):
  • Nee, dat vind ik niet. (No, I don't think so.)
  • Nee, daar ben ik het (helemaal) niet mee eens. (No, I (completely) disagree with that.)
  • Dat klopt niet. (That's not right.)
  • More Polite/Nuanced:
  • Ik begrijp wat je zegt, maar ik denk er anders over. (I understand what you're saying, but I think differently about it.)
  • Misschien heb je gelijk, maar... (Maybe you're right, but...)
  • Ik betwijfel of dat waar is. (I doubt if that is true.)
  • Ik zie dat anders. (I see that differently.)
  • Sorry, maar ik ben het niet met je eens. (Sorry, but I don't agree with you.)
  1. Asking for Opinions:
  • Wat vind jij (ervan)? (What do you think (of it)?)
  • Wat denk jij? (What do you think?)
  • Hoe denk jij erover? (How do you think about it?)
  • Ben je het ermee eens? (Do you agree with it?)

Skills Developed (B1):

  • Clearly stating a personal opinion on familiar topics.
  • Agreeing with someone else's statement.
  • Disagreeing politely and providing a simple reason.
  • Asking others for their views.
  • Participating actively in simple discussions.

Learning Focus:

  • Memorizing key phrases for opinion, agreement, and disagreement.
  • Understanding the difference in directness/politeness between phrases.
  • Practicing the correct word order after introductory phrases (e.g., subordinate clause after Ik vind dat..., main clause/inversion after Volgens mij...).
  • Using these phrases in role-plays and discussions.