Lesson 193 · German B1

Expressing Opinions & Giving Reasons

Meinung äußern und begründen

B1 speaking and writing tasks almost always ask for your opinion, not just facts. This lesson builds a phrase bank for stating a view and backing it up - the core move behind every discussion, essay, and exam Sprechen Teil from here on.

Today's win: state an opinion on a simple topic and give one clear reason for it.

Stating an opinion

Meiner Meinung nach...In my opinion...
Ich finde, dass...I find that...
Ich bin der Ansicht, dass...I am of the view that...
Ich denke/glaube, dass...I think/believe that...

All the dass-phrases push the verb to the end of the clause, same as any dass-clause.

Quick check: "In my opinion..." is Meiner Meinung ______.

Show answer
nach

weil vs. denn vs. da

Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Deutschland leben will. (...because I want to live in Germany - weil sends the verb to the end.)
Ich lerne Deutsch, denn ich will in Deutschland leben. (same meaning - denn keeps normal verb-second order.)
Da ich in Deutschland leben will, lerne ich Deutsch. (Since I want to live in Germany... - da often opens the sentence.)

weil and da are subordinating (verb to the end); denn is coordinating (normal word order). All three mean "because/since" - choose based on the word order you want.

Quick check: does "denn" send the verb to the end of its clause?

Show answer
no - denn keeps normal verb-second order

Connecting a reason to a conclusion: deshalb, deswegen, daher

Ich möchte in Deutschland leben, deshalb lerne ich Deutsch. (...therefore I am learning German.)

deshalb, deswegen, and daher all mean "therefore." They take position 1, so the verb comes right after them (verb-second rule, Lesson 5).

Quick check: after deshalb in position 1, what comes next - the subject or the verb?

Show answer
the verb
Try it out loud: give your opinion on whether it's better to live in a big city or a small town, using "Meiner Meinung nach" and one reason with weil.

Recap

1. "I think that this city is nice." - Ich ______, dass diese Stadt schön ist.

Show answer
denke / glaube

2. Which two words from this lesson are subordinating conjunctions meaning "because/since"?

Show answer
weil, da

Primary source

Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.

Want to practice giving your opinion on a topic from your own life? Ask your teaching agent.