Speakable Japanese

How to Say "I Think" in Japanese: Expressing Opinions (...to omoimasu)

Hello! In the previous lesson, you learned to defend your 'very best' preferences. This time, we will master the very important phrase '〜と思います' (...to omoimasu) for expressing your deeper inner thoughts, namely 'opinions' and 'suppositions'. Once you learn to do this, you will be able to not just state facts, but also share your thoughts, turning a friendly chat into an interesting discussion!

🎯 Lesson Goal

Learn to politely and clearly express your opinions, impressions, and suppositions using the structure 「(Plain Form) + と思います」!

Step 1 Discover

Let's look at how this is used in a real conversation when asking for someone's opinion.

👩
Sakura

明日のパーティー、ケンジさんは来るでしょうか？

(Ashita no pa-ti-, Kenji-san wa kuru deshou ka?)

👨
Takeshi

多分、来ると思います。

(Tabun, kuru to omoimasu.)

💡

Did you notice?

Before "to omoimasu", the verb "kuru" (to come) is used in its short, dictionary form instead of the polite "kimasu". This is the key rule we'll learn in Step 2!

Step 2 The Pattern

Here is the structure for expressing your thoughts and opinions.

Basic Chunk

と思います。

( to omoimasu.)

🔑 Key Point 1: The marker 'と'

Here, 'と' acts as a quotation marker that connects the "content of your thought" with the verb '思います' (I think). It works like quotation marks in English: " [thought] ", I think.

🌟 Key Point 2: Use the 'Plain Form'

Before '〜と思います', verbs, adjectives, and nouns are put into the 'plain form' (short form). It's a colloquial style that doesn't use 'ます/です' directly before 'と'. For nouns and na-adjectives, add だ (da).

Step 3 Pattern Practice

Let's see how different types of words connect to this structure. Read these out loud!

  • Verb Will clear up (hareru)

    明日は 晴れる と思います。

    (Ashita wa hareru to omoimasu.)

  • i-Adjective Interesting (omoshiroi)

    この映画は 面白い と思います。

    (Kono eiga wa omoshiroi to omoimasu.)

  • Noun / na-Adjective Easy (kantan) + da

    思ったより 簡単だ と思います。

    (Omotta yori kantan da to omoimasu.)

Step 4 Make It Yours!

This is the most important step! Try to freely express your opinions and thoughts using the vocabulary cheat sheet.

👉 YOUR OPINION と思います。

Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

Example Plain Forms

  • 行く iku (will go)
  • 来る kuru (will come)
  • おいしい oishii (is delicious)
  • 便利だ benri da (is convenient)

Topic of Opinion

  • 明日の天気 ashita no tenki (tomorrow's weather)
  • 日本語の勉強 nihongo no benkyou (studying Japanese)
  • このレストラン kono resutoran (this restaurant)
  • 彼のアイデア kare no aidea (his idea)

Bonus Go Beyond the Basics

Once you are comfortable with the basic form, you can expand your expression by learning how to state negative opinions and how to speak casually with friends!

🙅‍♀️ 1. I DON'T think... (Negative)

Verb Negative

彼は 来ない と思います。

(Kare wakonaito omoimasu.)I think he won't come.

Adjective Negative

あまり 美味しくない と思います。

(Amarioishikunaito omoimasu.)I think it's not very delicious.

🤝 2. Friendly & Casual

Drop the 'masu'

良いアイデアだ と思う。

(Ii aidea dato omou.)I think it's a good idea.

With friendly emphasis

行く と思うよ。

(Ikuto omou yo.)I think I'll go (telling you).

Summary Lesson Review

Expressing Opinions: Add 〜と思います (to omoimasu) to a sentence to express your thoughts, opinions, or suppositions.

Using Plain Form: Always use the Plain Form (short form) of verbs and adjectives right before the "と" (to) marker.

Nouns and Na-Adjectives: When using nouns or na-adjectives, be sure to add だ (da) before the "と思います".

Practice Drill

1 / X Polite

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