Expressing and Qualifying an Opinion at DELF B2: The Phrases to Master

At DELF B2, you are not asked to be right: you are asked to defend a position and to know how to qualify it. The written production is an argumentative text of at least 250 words; the oral production is a monologue followed by a debate with the examiner. In both cases, what is assessed is your ability to qualify and rephrase, not how certain you sound. A candidate who piles up ideas with « et… et… et… », without connectors or nuance, loses marks even when the ideas themselves are good.

Here are the French phrases to have ready, grouped by function.

Explanations and examples

Stating an opinion: three degrees of commitment

The same idea can be presented in three ways. Choosing the right degree is already part of arguing.

Neutral tone

• Selon moi / à mon avis / personnellement / j’estime que / je considère que → in my view, personally, I consider that
  Examples :

Selon moi, la formation continue devrait être accessible à tous les salariés. (In my view, continuing training should be available to all employees.)

J’estime que la gratuité des transports ne suffira pas à réduire la pollution urbaine. (I consider that free public transport will not be enough to reduce urban pollution.)

Committed tone

• Je suis convaincu(e) que / il me paraît essentiel de / je tiens à souligner que / je défends l’idée selon laquelle → I am convinced that, it seems essential to me to, I want to stress that
  Examples :

Je suis convaincue que l’école a un rôle central à jouer dans l’éducation au numérique. (I am convinced that schools have a central role to play in digital education.)

Il me paraît essentiel de former les employés avant d’installer de nouveaux outils. (It seems essential to me to train staff before installing new tools.)

Cautious tone

• Il me semble que / j’aurais tendance à penser que / on peut se demander si / il n’est pas exclu que → it seems to me that, I would tend to think that, one may wonder whether
  Examples :

Il me semble que le télétravail profite surtout à ceux qui ont un logement adapté. (It seems to me that remote work mainly benefits those with suitable housing.)

On peut se demander si cette mesure aura un effet durable sur les émissions de CO2. (One may wonder whether this measure will have a lasting effect on CO2 emissions.)

One useful habit: do not repeat « je pense que » in every sentence. Examiners hear that phrase dozens of times a day; varying it costs nothing and is noticed immediately.

Qualifying: the habit that makes the difference

Qualifying is not hesitating: it is setting the limits of what you claim.

• Dans une certaine mesure / en partie / du moins / jusqu’à un certain point / cela dépend largement de / il ne s’agit pas tant de… que de… → to a certain extent, partly, at least, up to a point, it largely depends on, it is not so much a question of… as of…
  Examples :

Le numérique facilite l’apprentissage, du moins pour les élèves déjà autonomes. (Digital tools make learning easier, at least for pupils who are already independent.)

Cette réforme est en partie justifiée, dans la mesure où elle répond à une demande réelle des familles. (This reform is partly justified, insofar as it answers a real demand from families.)

Il ne s’agit pas tant d’interdire la voiture que de proposer une alternative crédible. (It is not so much a question of banning cars as of offering a credible alternative.)

Conceding, then countering

This is the most profitable move at B2: you grant your opponent a point, then take back control. One warning — the concession must always be followed by the counter-argument, otherwise you have simply changed your mind.

• Certes… mais / il est vrai que… toutefois / j’admets volontiers que… il n’en reste pas moins que / bien que + subjunctive / on peut comprendre que… cela dit → admittedly… but, it is true that… however, I readily admit that… the fact remains that, although…, that said
  Examples :

Certes, le télétravail réduit les déplacements, mais il isole les salariés les plus jeunes. (Admittedly, remote work cuts commuting, but it isolates younger employees.)

Il est vrai que ces technologies consomment beaucoup d’énergie ; toutefois, elles permettent d’en économiser ailleurs. (It is true that these technologies use a lot of energy; however, they save energy elsewhere.)

J’admets volontiers que la mesure est coûteuse ; il n’en reste pas moins qu’elle protège les plus fragiles. (I readily admit the measure is expensive; the fact remains that it protects the most vulnerable.)

Bien que ce dispositif soit imparfait, il a fait ses preuves dans plusieurs villes. (Although this scheme is imperfect, it has proved itself in several cities.) Note the subjunctive after bien que.

Expressing doubt

Doubt is an argument in its own right: it lets you attack an idea without attacking the person. Several of these phrases take the subjunctive.

• Je doute que + subjunctive / je ne suis pas certain(e) que + subjunctive / rien ne prouve que / il est peu probable que / reste à savoir si → I doubt that, I am not sure that, nothing proves that, it is unlikely that, it remains to be seen whether
  Examples :

Je doute que cette solution soit applicable dans les zones rurales. (I doubt this solution can be applied in rural areas.)

Rien ne prouve que l’augmentation des salaires suffise à retenir les employés. (Nothing proves that higher wages are enough to retain staff.)

Reste à savoir si les entreprises joueront réellement le jeu. (It remains to be seen whether companies will really play along.)

Disagreeing politely

During the debate, the examiner will contradict you. That is their role, not a penalty. What they are watching is how you hold your ground without becoming aggressive.

• Je ne partage pas totalement votre point de vue. (I don’t entirely share your point of view.)
• Permettez-moi de nuancer : la situation est plus complexe. (Allow me to qualify that: the situation is more complex.)
• Je comprends votre position, mais je vois les choses autrement. (I understand your position, but I see things differently.)
• C’est un argument défendable ; cependant, il oublie le coût pour les familles. (That is a defensible argument; however, it ignores the cost to families.)
• Je ne suis pas sûr(e) que ce soit aussi simple. (I’m not sure it is that simple.)
• Là, je ne vous suis pas tout à fait. (There, I don’t quite follow you.) More spoken in register, and very natural in a debate.

Avoid: « vous avez tort », « c’est faux », « non, pas du tout ». They are grammatically correct but socially wrong, and register is part of what is assessed.

Generalising and restricting

A generalisation with no restriction is an invitation for the examiner to contradict you. Get into the habit of closing that door yourself.

• Generalising : dans l’ensemble, de manière générale, globalement, la plupart du temps, on constate souvent que (on the whole, generally speaking, overall, most of the time, it is often observed that)
• Restricting : sauf exception, à l’exception de, hormis, dans certains cas seulement, cela vaut surtout pour (with a few exceptions, apart from, except for, in some cases only, this is true above all for)

Dans l’ensemble, les entreprises se sont adaptées, à l’exception des plus petites structures. (On the whole, companies have adapted, apart from the smallest ones.)

La plupart du temps, ces dispositifs fonctionnent, du moins dans les grandes villes. (Most of the time these schemes work, at least in large cities.)

In the oral: what earns marks and what costs them

What earns marks:

• rephrasing the objection before answering it: Si je comprends bien, vous me dites que… / Vous voulez dire que… (If I understand correctly, you are telling me that… / You mean that…)
• announcing your structure out loud: Je vois deux raisons à cela : d’abord…, ensuite… (I see two reasons for that: first…, then…)
• varying your opinion phrases instead of repeating a single one
• acknowledging a limit in your own argument, then holding your position

What costs marks:

• stacking ideas with « et… et… et… » and no connectors
• contradicting the examiner head-on
• dropping your position at the first objection
• repeating « je pense que » every other sentence

Above all, remember this: conceding a limit in your own argument is a strength, not a weakness. Saying « je reconnais que cette mesure coûtera cher aux collectivités ; il n’en reste pas moins qu’elle est urgente » shows that you considered the objection before it was put to you. That is exactly the reasoning expected at B2 level — and it is far more solid than a claim defended to the end without ever being examined.

Two things to do this week

• The five-sentence notebook : pick a topic (remote work, screens in schools, cars in city centres) and write five sentences only — one opinion, one qualification, one concession followed by a counter-argument, one doubt, one polite disagreement. Change topic every day. Five minutes is enough.
• The two-minute recording : speak for two minutes on a current topic, then listen back and count two things: how many times you said « je pense que », and how many « et » simply glue two ideas together. Record the same topic again, replacing half of them.

💡 Practical tip : prepare three phrases per function, not fifteen. Three phrases genuinely available on exam day are worth more than a long list you reread but never use. And if you are already planning your session, the details for DELF B2 registration are on our site.