Hi, Tim here with another 925 English lesson.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to learn how to express doubt in English.
Have you ever been in a meeting when someone says something and you think “hmm… I’m not
really sure about that.” You might be unsure about whether it’s true, or whether it’s a good idea.
We call that feeling “doubt.”
And it’s important that you are able to express doubt confidently and politely.
Now, if you’re a little bit unsure of something, you can use the expression I just used, and say
something like “I’m not really sure” or “I’m not 100% sure.” Or you could say very directly “well,
I have a few doubts.” Another way to express doubt is with a question, like “Are you certain that
would work?” Just by asking the question, you are telling people you have doubts.
Let’s try a bit of practice with some of these ways of expressing mild doubt.
Listen to each example, then repeat it yourself. Ready? Let’s get started.
I’m not 100% sure about that.
Hmm… well, I have a few doubts.
That seems a bit unlikely to me.
Are you certain that would work?
You might notice that these expressions sound more polite than just saying “I doubt that.” The reason
for this is softening words like “a few” or “a bit” and hesitation words like “hmm” and “well.”
But sometimes you may be less concerned about being polite. Instead, you might want to show
strong doubt. And to do that, we can be more direct. For example, you could say
“there’s no way that would work.” That certainly sounds clear and direct, doesn’t it?
You could also say “that’s simply not feasible,” which means it won’t work.
Or “I really don’t think that’s a possibility.”
These are all ways to show you have strong doubts about what’s being talked about.
Let’s try some examples of showing strong doubts. Remember to repeat the
examples after you hear them.
There’s no way that would work.
I’m sorry but that’s simply not feasible.
I seriously doubt it.
I really don’t think that’s a possibility at all.
These are strong and direct expressions. But you did hear one common way to make
them a bit more polite: the expression “I’m sorry but.” You can use this to introduce a
strong or honest opinion, such as “I’m sorry but that’s really not possible.”
Now, what if you don’t have strong doubts, and you’re simply unsure which of two competing ideas
or positions you support? Well, in this case, you might want to take a “neutral” position.
If you’re neutral, it means you haven’t decided yet or you don’t want to commit to one side.
In this case, you might say “I could go either way” or “I can see both sides of this issue.”
Another way to express this idea is with the idiom “I’m on the fence about it.”
That simply means you’re not on one side or the other, but right in the middle.
How about some practice with these expressions? Once again, repeat the
examples after you hear them.
I could go either way on this.
ready to make a decision yet because you need more information or the future is uncertain.
I’m kind of on the fence about it.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Yeah, well, I can see two sides to this issue.
Did you hear that expression “we’ll just have to wait and see?” That’s simply a way of saying you’re not
All right, we’ve practiced different ways of expressing doubt.
But how does this sound in a conversation? Let’s listen to a short dialog between Nick and Kendra.
Nick is suggesting ways of reducing costs, and Kendra is expressing doubt.
Nick: One way to reduce costs is to get a smaller office.
Kendra: I’m not 100% sure about that.
Nick: Well, we could cut staff instead.
Kendra: I’m sorry but that’s simply not feasible.
Now it’s your turn to practice. We’ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’re going to beep out
the second speaker’s words. You will have to say those parts yourself. Remember to start by saying
you’re not 100% sure about the idea. Then say you think Nick’s second idea simply isn’t feasible.
Ready? Here we go!
One way to reduce costs is to get a smaller office.
Well, we could cut staff instead.
Okay, that’s all for this lesson! We’ve learned how to express mild and strong doubt, as well
as how to take a neutral position. We’ll be back soon with some more useful English expressions.
Until then, so long and happy learning!