CAE Speaking Phrases

Likes/dislikes Opinion
I’m into… As far as I’m concerned,
I’m a keen/avid (surfer) As I see it,
I’m keen on/fond of (surfing) From my point of view,
I (go surfing) to unwind, to escape the stresses In my humble opinion,
and strains of my day to day life. I’d say that…
I like nothing more than (to go surfing)
I’m itching to try/go…. (I really want to)
Comparing/contrasting Describing pictures
Both pictures show… The first thing that strikes me about this picture
In this picture they look as though they are…. is…
Whereas/while in this picture… The thing that really jumps out of this picture is…
In contrast In this picture it looks as if/though they are…
On the other hand They could/might/may be…
They could/might/may have just…
I’m pretty sure that they’re feeling…
I’d guess that they are…
Agreeing Disagreeing
We see eye to eye. We don’t see eye to eye.
Yeah, I’d go along with that. I take your point but…
Absolutely! I tend to disagree with you there.
You took the words right out of my mouth. That’s not always the case
I couldn’t agree more. I beg to differ
You have a point there. Isn’t it more a case of…
I’m with you 100% on this one.
Starting to make a conclusion Asking for opinion
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. What’s your take on….?
The bottom line is we have to choose one… Where do you stand on….?
It’s a tough one, I’m torn between … and …. In my opinion…., would you go along with that?
Shall we go with ….? What are your thoughts on this?
Personalising Impressive structures
Speaking from personal experience,… Another point I’d like to add about … is…
For me personally,.. It’s also worth bearing in mind that…
This is a topic that is particularly close to my Coming back to what (Javi) was saying about ….
heart… I’d also like to point out that…
It’s funny I was just thinking about this the other I think it’s important not to forget that…
day. The vast majority of people tend to think that…
My gut/initial reaction is… At the end of the day…
If I were to choose one of these situations (part 2 When all’s said and done…
pictures), I’d go with… because…
Tips Asking for repetition
Eye-contact I beg your pardon, I didn’t catch that.
Active listening Sorry would you mind repeating that?
Open body language Could you repeat the question please?
Speak up
Don’t dominate
Other Advanced Discussion Phrases
Expressing opinion Personalising the topic
 To my mind,  As far as I’m concerned…
 I’m of the mind that…  Speaking from personal experience I’d say
 The way I see it, that…
 As I see it,  In my experience, …
 From my point of view/ perspective,  I often find that…
 I look at it like this…  In my case, …
 I’m a firm/big believer in…  Speaking for me personally, …
 Look, here’s what I think…  From what I’ve seen, …
 If you ask me,…  I can’t speak for anyone else, but in my case…
 I hold the view that…  This is a topic that is close to my heart
because…
 This really resonates with me personally
because…
Agreeing Disagreeing
 Totally/Absolutely/Exactly  I see what you mean but…
 I think we’re on the same page here.  I take your point but…
 I’m with you on that one.  I beg to differ I’m afraid.
 I couldn’t agree more.  I’m afraid I have to disagree with you there.
 I’m inclined to agree…  Yes but if we look at it from another angle…
 I’d go along with that.  That’s not exactly how I see it.
 I was just going to say that.  No, you’ve lost me there.
 You took the words right out of my  I’m afraid I just don’t buy it.
mouth.
Asking for opinion Rephrasing
 What’s your take on this?  What I mean is...
 Where do you stand on this topic?  I guess what I'm trying to say is...
 What do you reckon? | wɒdəjə ˈrekən |  In other words…
 Would you go along with that? (after  To put it another way…
expressing opinion)  How can I put this?
 What are your thoughts on this?
Time Buyers Adding additional points
 It’s funny you should ask that…  It’s also worth bearing in mind that...
 That’s weird I was just talking about  Another point worth highlighting is…
this the other day…  What’s more/On top of that
 Hhmmmm that’s a tough one…  It must also be pointed out that…
 That’s an interesting question…  Aside from that,
 Now let me see…