C2‌‌Proficiency‌‌(CPE)‌‌Speaking‌‌Phrases‌ 

‌
Expressing‌‌opinion‌  ‌ Personalising‌‌the‌‌topic‌  ‌
● To‌‌my‌‌mind,‌  ‌ ● As‌‌far‌‌as‌‌I’m‌‌concerned…‌  ‌
● I’m‌‌of‌‌the‌‌mind‌‌that…‌  ‌ ● Speaking‌‌from‌‌personal‌‌experience‌‌I’d‌‌say‌‌that…‌  ‌
● The‌‌way‌‌I‌‌see‌‌it,‌  ‌ ● In‌‌my‌‌experience,‌‌… ‌ ‌
● As‌‌I‌‌see‌‌it,‌  ‌ ● I‌‌often‌‌find‌‌that…‌  ‌
● From‌‌my‌‌point‌‌of‌‌view/‌‌perspective,‌  ‌ ● In‌‌my‌‌case,‌‌… ‌ ‌
● I‌‌look‌‌at‌‌it‌‌like‌‌this…‌  ‌ ● Speaking‌‌for‌‌me‌‌personally,‌‌… ‌ ‌
● I’m‌‌a‌‌firm/big‌‌believer‌‌in…‌  ‌ ● From‌‌what‌‌I’ve‌‌seen,‌‌… ‌ ‌
● Look,‌‌here’s‌‌what‌‌I‌‌think…‌  ‌ ● I‌‌can’t‌‌speak‌‌for‌‌anyone‌‌else,‌‌but‌‌in‌‌my‌‌case…‌  ‌
● If‌‌you‌‌ask‌‌me,…‌  ‌ ● This‌‌is‌‌a‌‌topic‌‌that‌‌is‌‌close‌‌to‌‌my‌‌heart‌‌because…‌ 
● I‌‌hold‌‌the‌‌view‌‌that…‌  ‌ ● This‌‌really‌‌resonates‌‌with‌‌me‌‌personally‌‌because…‌  ‌

Rephrasing‌  ‌ Time‌‌Buyers‌  ‌
● What‌‌I‌‌mean‌‌is...‌  ‌ ● It’s‌‌funny‌‌you‌‌should‌‌ask‌‌that…‌  ‌
● I‌‌guess‌‌what‌‌I'm‌‌trying‌‌to‌‌say‌‌is...‌  ‌ ● That’s‌‌weird‌‌I‌‌was‌‌just‌‌talking‌‌about‌‌this‌‌the‌‌other‌‌day…‌  ‌
● In‌‌other‌‌words…‌  ‌ ● Hhmmmm‌‌that’s‌‌a‌‌tough‌‌one…‌  ‌
● To‌‌put‌‌it‌‌another‌‌way…‌  ‌ ● That’s‌‌an‌‌interesting‌‌question…‌  ‌
● How‌‌can‌‌I‌‌put‌‌this?‌  ‌ ● Now‌‌let‌‌me‌‌see…‌ 

Changing‌‌topic‌  ‌ Adding‌‌additional‌‌points‌  ‌
● Moving‌‌on‌‌to…‌  ‌ ● It’s‌‌also‌‌worth‌‌bearing‌‌in‌‌mind‌‌that...‌  ‌
● Now‌‌when‌‌it‌‌comes‌‌to…‌  ‌ ● Another‌‌point‌‌worth‌‌highlighting‌‌is…‌  ‌
● …‌‌which‌‌leads‌‌me‌‌on‌‌to…‌  ‌ ● What’s‌‌more/On‌‌top‌‌of‌‌that‌  ‌
● Now‌‌let’s‌‌take‌‌a‌‌look‌‌at…‌  ‌ ● It‌‌must‌‌also‌‌be‌‌pointed‌‌out‌‌that…‌  ‌
● Let’s‌‌move‌‌on‌‌shall‌‌we?‌  ‌ ● Aside‌‌from‌‌that,‌  ‌

Agreeing‌  ‌ Disagreeing‌  ‌
● Totally/Absolutely/Exactly‌  ‌ ● I‌‌see‌‌what‌‌you‌‌mean‌‌but…‌  ‌
● I‌‌think‌‌we’re‌‌on‌‌the‌‌same‌‌page‌‌here.‌  ‌ ● I‌‌take‌‌your‌‌point‌‌but…‌  ‌
● I’m‌‌with‌‌you‌‌on‌‌that‌‌one.‌  ‌ ● I‌‌beg‌‌to‌‌differ‌‌I’m‌‌afraid.‌  ‌
● I‌‌couldn’t‌‌agree‌‌more.‌  ‌ ● I’m‌‌afraid‌‌I‌‌have‌‌to‌‌disagree‌‌with‌‌you‌‌there.‌  ‌
● Hear,‌‌hear!‌  ‌ ● Yes‌‌but‌‌if‌‌we‌‌look‌‌at‌‌it‌‌from‌‌another‌‌angle…‌  ‌
● I’d‌‌go‌‌along‌‌with‌‌that.‌  ‌ ● That’s‌‌not‌‌exactly‌‌how‌‌I‌‌see‌‌it.‌  ‌
● I‌‌was‌‌just‌‌going‌‌to‌‌say‌‌that.‌  ‌ ● No,‌‌you’ve‌‌lost‌‌me‌‌there.‌  ‌
● You‌‌took‌‌the‌‌words‌‌right‌‌out‌‌of‌‌my‌‌mouth.‌  ‌ ● I’m‌‌afraid‌‌I‌‌just‌‌don’t‌‌buy‌‌it.‌  ‌

Convincing/Negotiating‌  ‌
● Wouldn’t‌‌it‌‌be‌‌better‌‌to‌‌…?‌  ‌
● I‌‌hear‌‌what‌‌you’re‌‌saying‌‌but…‌  ‌
● Hear‌‌me‌‌out‌‌here‌‌… ‌ ‌
● I’m‌‌sure‌‌we‌‌can‌‌come‌‌to‌‌a‌‌compromise.‌  ‌
● Ok,‌‌ok,‌‌you’ve‌‌talked‌‌me‌‌round.‌‌(you’ve‌‌convinced‌‌me)‌  ‌
Making‌‌a‌‌decision‌  ‌
● Right,‌‌let’s‌‌get‌‌down‌‌to‌‌the‌‌nitty‌‌gritty.‌  ‌
● I’m‌‌torn‌‌between‌‌____‌‌and‌‌____‌  ‌
● At‌‌the‌‌end‌‌of‌‌the‌‌day,‌‌we’ve‌‌got‌‌to‌‌choose‌‌one…‌  ‌
● My‌‌first‌‌instinct‌‌is‌‌to‌‌go‌‌for…‌‌what‌‌do‌‌you‌‌think?‌  ‌
● The‌‌one‌‌that‌‌jumps‌‌out‌‌at‌‌me‌‌is…‌  ‌

Asking‌‌for‌‌opinion‌  ‌
● What’s‌‌your‌‌take‌‌on‌‌this?‌  ‌
● Where‌‌do‌‌you‌‌stand‌‌on‌‌this‌‌topic?‌  ‌
● What‌‌do‌‌you‌‌reckon?‌| ‌ ‌‌wɒdəjə‌‌ˈrekən‌‌| ‌ ‌
● Would‌‌you‌‌go‌‌along‌‌with‌‌that?‌‌(after‌‌expressing‌‌opinion)‌  ‌
● What‌‌are‌‌your‌‌thoughts‌‌on‌‌this?‌  ‌
Impressive‌‌structures‌  ‌
● Coming‌‌back‌‌to‌‌what‌‌(Javi)‌‌was‌‌saying‌‌about‌‌….‌‌I’d‌‌also‌‌like‌‌ 
to‌‌point‌‌out‌‌that…‌  ‌
● I‌‌think‌‌it’s‌‌important‌‌not‌‌to‌‌forget‌‌that…‌  ‌
● The‌‌vast‌‌majority‌‌of‌‌people‌‌tend‌‌to‌‌think‌‌that…‌  ‌
● When‌‌all’s‌‌said‌‌and‌‌done…‌  ‌

Giving‌‌examples‌  ‌ Wrap‌‌up/referring‌‌back‌  ‌
● A‌‌clear‌‌example‌‌of‌‌this‌‌is…‌  ‌ ● So‌‌as‌‌I‌‌was‌‌saying…‌  ‌
● The‌‌first‌‌example‌‌that‌‌springs‌‌to‌‌mind‌‌is…‌  ‌ ● In‌‌summary,‌  ‌
● For‌‌instance,‌  ‌ ● In‌‌a‌‌nutshell,‌  ‌
● The‌‌most‌‌obvious‌‌example‌‌is…‌  ‌ ● In‌‌summary,‌  ‌
● When‌‌I‌‌hear‌‌the‌‌word‌‌____,‌‌I‌‌immediately‌‌think‌‌of‌‌____‌  ‌

 ‌

 ‌