Giving opinions

Stating and backing up a view: Giving an opinion in German means two things: stating what you think („Meiner Meinung nach…“, „Ich glaube, dass…“) and justifying it with a reason („weil…“, „denn…“). A bare opinion with no reason stays in the lower bands; an opinion plus a reason plus an example is what the discursive writing and the oral reward.

The one grammar point to watch is word order: after „dass“ and after „weil“ the conjugated verb jumps to the END of the clause („Ich glaube, dass das Buch gut ist.“).

die Meinung

opinion — what you personally think

ich glaube, dass…

I believe that… — introduces an opinion (+ verb-final)

begründen

to justify / give reasons — to back up your opinion

zustimmen (+ Dativ)

to agree (with someone) — separable verb: „Ich stimme dir zu.“

der Nebensatz

the subordinate clause — the „dass/weil“ clause where the verb goes last

die Wortstellung

word order — V2 in a main clause, verb-final after „dass/weil“

Opinion + reason, always: The single biggest mark-winner here is the justification. Never write „Ich finde es gut.“ and stop — add „…, weil…“ or „…, denn…“. In the oral, every opinion you give should be followed by a reason, ideally with an example.

Phrases for stating, agreeing, contrasting: Here is the phrase toolkit, grouped by job. Stating an opinion: most openers keep V2 word order, but „dass“ sends the verb to the end. Agreeing / disagreeing lets you respond to others. And the contrast pair „einerseits… andererseits…“ weighs two sides.

„dass/weil“ → verb to the end: A plain opinion keeps V2 word order: „Ich glaube, das ist wahr.“ But the moment you add „dass“, the conjugated verb jumps to the end: „Ich glaube, dass das wahr ist.“ Same after „weil“: „…, weil es wichtig ist.“ This verb-final shift is the one form examiners look for here.

Where opinions earn marks: Opinion language is the backbone of the discursive writing and the oral conversation. Here are the moments you reach for it, each with a German example — and notice that the reason („weil / denn“) is what turns a comment into an argument.

Justify with „weil / denn“: Whenever you state a view, attach a reason. Use „weil“ (verb to the end: „…, weil es hilft“) or „denn“ (V2, like a main clause: „…, denn es hilft“). An example after that („zum Beispiel…“) makes it stronger. Opinion → reason → example is the chain that pushes you up the bands.

Opinion, reason, example, conclusion: Here is a short opinion paragraph built in the classic shape: opinion → reason → example → weighing both sides → mini-conclusion. Notice the word order: plain openers keep V2 („…ist der öffentliche Nahverkehr…“) while the „dass“/„weil“ clauses push the verb to the end („…, weil weniger Autos fahren“). Tap Übersetzung anzeigen or 🔊 to hear it.

Steal this skeleton: The chain is reusable for any topic: „Meiner Meinung nach… (opinion). Ich glaube, dass… weil… (reason). Zum Beispiel… (example). Einerseits… andererseits… (two sides). Deshalb finde ich… (conclusion).“ Drop in your topic and you have a full discursive paragraph.

The slips to watch for: Three classic opinion errors: forgetting the verb-final word order after „dass / weil“ („…, weil es ist gut“ → „…, weil es gut ist“), giving an opinion with no justification, and English calques like translating I am agree as „Ich bin einig“. Compare the right version with the typical mistake.

Verb to the end, and always justify: Two checks before you move on: after „dass / weil“, is the conjugated verb at the end (ist, hat, kann)? And does every opinion have a reason attached? Also avoid the calque — it's „Ich bin einverstanden“ or „Ich stimme dir zu“ (Dativ), never „Ich bin einig“.