En resumen (the short version)
- Creo que is your everyday "I think". Me parece que is a bit softer, para mí is the most casual, and opino que is for debates and writing.
- Choose how strong you sound, from Estoy convencido de que… to A lo mejor…
- After no creo que and no pienso que, the next verb goes into the subjunctive: No creo que sea caro.
✌🏼 ¡Hola aventurero!
You're chatting with a Spanish friend. They tell you all about a series they love, then turn to you: ¿Y tú qué opinas?
And all that comes out is… Sí… bien… interesante 😅
You do have an opinion. You've got lots of them! It's just that the Spanish to say them hasn't come out yet. So let's sort that out. Here's the Spanish you need for giving your opinion in Spanish, how strong each phrase sounds, and one little grammar trap that catches almost everyone.
Five ways to start an opinion
These all translate as something like "I think", but they don't sound quite the same:
| Phrase | How it sounds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Creo que… | Your everyday "I think". Use it most | Creo que este barrio es muy tranquilo. |
| Pienso que… | A bit more thought through | Pienso que deberíamos salir antes. |
| Me parece que… | Softer, like "it seems to me" | Me parece que va a llover. |
| Para mí… | Short and casual | Para mí, el mejor sitio es la playa. |
| Opino que… | Formal, for debates and writing | Opino que las reuniones deberían ser más cortas. |
In everyday chat in Spain, you'll hear creo que far more than pienso que. If you only learn one, learn that one.
Para mí is great for learners, because you don't even need a verb after it: ¿Café o té? Para mí, café. ☕
Me parece: the opinion that works like gustar
Me parece is one of the most useful opinion phrases in Spanish, and it works backwards, just like me gusta. The thing you're giving an opinion on is the subject, so the verb changes with it:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me parece bien. | That's fine by me. / Sounds good. |
| Me parece genial. | I think it's great. |
| Me parece fatal. | I think it's awful. |
| Me parece una buena idea. | I think it's a good idea. |
| Estos zapatos me parecen un poco caros. | I think these shoes are a bit expensive. |
| ¿Qué te parece? | What do you think? |
Look at parecen in the second-to-last row. It's plural because estos zapatos is plural. Same idea as me gustan los gatos. If that backwards thing still feels odd, there's a whole post on it: how gustar works in Spanish.
For something you've just seen or done today, Spain uses me ha parecido: ¿Qué te ha parecido la película? (What did you think of the film?)
Me parece is about opinions. Me parezco comes from parecerse and means "I look like": Me parezco a mi madre (I look like my mum). So if you say Me parezco bien, you've just told everyone you look good 😄
Strong or soft?
Sometimes you're completely sure. Sometimes you're just guessing. Spanish has phrases for every step in between:
| Phrase | How sure you are | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Estoy convencido/a de que… | Completely sure | Estoy convencida de que vas a aprobar. |
| Estoy seguro/a de que… | Very sure | Estoy seguro de que está cerrado. |
| Creo que… | Fairly sure | Creo que abren a las diez. |
| Me da la impresión de que… | I get the feeling | Me da la impresión de que está cansado. |
| A lo mejor… | Maybe, just a guess | A lo mejor llueve mañana. |
Teacher bit 🤓 Two little details here:
- It's estoy seguro de que, with de. Native speakers often drop it when they chat, but the correct version keeps it.
- After a lo mejor, the verb stays normal: A lo mejor llueve. Learners often expect the subjunctive there, because it's a "maybe". It's not needed.
If you're not sure how an opinion will go down, start with Me da la impresión de que… It sounds thoughtful, it's polite, and it leaves room for the other person to disagree without any awkwardness.
No creo que: why the verb changes
Here's the trap. When you say what you think, the next verb is normal. When you say what you don't think, it goes into the subjunctive:
| When you think it | When you don't think it | |
|---|---|---|
| ser | Creo que es caro. | No creo que sea caro. |
| tener | Pienso que tiene razón. | No pienso que tenga razón. |
| ir a | Creo que va a venir. | No creo que vaya a venir. |
| estar | Me parece que está abierto. | No me parece que esté abierto. |
Why? With creo que, you're presenting something as true, as far as you know. With no creo que, you're saying it probably isn't true. Spanish uses the subjunctive for ideas that aren't presented as real, so the verb changes. That's the same reason you get quiero que vengas or ojalá llueva: none of them have happened.
Not ready for the subjunctive yet? Para mí gets you out of it: Para mí, no es caro. Same opinion, no subjunctive 😉
Asking what other people think
An opinion works best as part of a conversation. So once you've given yours, hand it back:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Tú qué piensas? | What do you think? |
| ¿Qué opinas de…? | What's your opinion on…? |
| ¿Qué te parece? | What do you think of it? |
| ¿Cómo lo ves? | How do you see it? |
| ¿Tú qué harías? | What would you do? |
Quick note: for opinions, it's pensar de: ¿Qué piensas de mi idea? (What do you think of my idea?) Pensar en means "to think about" someone or something: Estoy pensando en las vacaciones (I'm thinking about the holidays).
There's more on handing the conversation back in why your Spanish conversations die after two lines.
Hear it in a real conversation
Two friends coming out of the cinema:
Me ha parecido, para mí, no creo que sea, estoy convencido de que… all in one short chat 🎬 For more words to talk about films and series, see movie vocabulary in Spanish.
Practise it this week
Give three opinions about your day
Before bed, give your opinion on three things from today, each with a different starter. For example: Creo que el café de la oficina es horrible. Me parece que mi jefa está estresada. Para mí, el mejor momento del día es la cena.
Turn one opinion into no creo que
Take one of those three opinions and say the opposite with no creo que and the subjunctive: No creo que el café de la oficina sea tan malo.
Ask for one opinion in your next conversation
Next time you speak Spanish, in a class or a language exchange, ask ¿Tú qué piensas? or ¿Qué te parece? at least once, then react to the answer.
Recap ✨
- Creo que is the everyday "I think". Me parece que is softer, para mí is casual, and opino que is formal.
- Me parece works like gustar: Me parece bien, Estos zapatos me parecen caros, ¿Qué te parece?
- Show how sure you are, from Estoy convencido de que… to A lo mejor…
- After no creo que, use the subjunctive: No creo que sea caro.
- Ask for opinions with ¿Tú qué piensas? and use pensar de for opinions.
Opinions get easier the more you give them, out loud, to real people. That's what we do in the Aventureros Club: aventureros from all over the world chatting in Spanish about everything from films to food 🎉
Now I want to know 👀 What's one opinion you'd love to be able to say in Spanish? Try it in the comments, and cuéntame which starter you used!
¡Un abrazo aventurero!
Lucía 💛
Lucía · Linguist, translator, Spanish teacher and author of the Visual Spanish Grammar Book.
Come and learn Spanish with me and other aventureros like yourself at skool.com/learnspanish 🎉