Language/Galician/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion

Galician Grammar - Give your Opinion

Hi Galician learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to give our opinion in Galician. We will also discuss some cultural aspects related to the expression of opinions in Galicia. So, let's get started!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Negation & Indefinite Articles in Galician.

Giving your opinion

Expressing your opinion is a great way to participate in a conversation and show your personality. In Galician, you can use different expressions to share your opinion. Here are some of them:

Galician	Pronunciation	English
Para min	[paɾa min]	In my opinion
Eu creo que	[eu ˈkɾe.o ke]	I believe that
A miña opinión é que	[a ˈmiɲa opiˈnjon e ke]	My opinion is that
Na miña humilde opinión	[na ˈmiɲa umˈmi.de opiˈnjon]	In my humble opinion
Eu pensaba que	[eu penˈsa.βa ke]	I thought that

To become fluent in using these expressions, it is important to practice them. As always, we recommend that you find native speakers and practice with them. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Here is an example of a dialogue where two friends are giving their opinions on a movie:

• Juan: Gustoume moito esa película. [(I liked that movie a lot)]
• Ana: Eu tamén a vin e a verdade é que non me enganchou tanto. [(I also saw it and the truth is that it didn't hook me as much)]

Notice how they used "gustoume" and "non me enganchou" to express their opinions. If you pay attention, you will also realise that they used the verb "gustar" in a different way than in English. In Galician, we use the verb "gustar" to express that we like something or that something pleases us. For example:

Galician	Pronunciation	English
Gustaríame ir ao cinema	[ɡus.taˈɾi.am.e iɾ ao ˈθine.ma]	I would like to go to the cinema
Non me gusta esa canción	[non me ˈɡus.ta esa kanˈθon]	I don't like that song

In the first example, "gustaríame" means "I would like", but literally translated, it means "it would please me". This is a good example of how verbs in Galician can work differently than in other languages.

Galician Paradoxes: Do opinions matter?

In Galicia, we have a popular saying: "Cada cabeza é un mundo" [(Each head is a world)]. This saying means that everyone has their own way of seeing things and that we should respect other people's opinions. However, there are also some paradoxes related to opinions, such as the case of the "trensismo".

"Trensismo" is a term derived from the Galician word "tren" (train). In the early 20th century, when trains started to become popular in Galicia, people used to gather near the railway stations to watch the trains go by. They would comment on the speed of the train, the colour of the wagons, the steam that came out of the engine, etc. However, no one could really give a precise opinion on how fast the train was going, as no one had a watch to measure the speed. Nevertheless, the opinions were fiercely defended and sometimes led to heated arguments.

The "trensismo" phenomenon is an example of how opinions can sometimes be more important than facts or reality. Nowadays, the term "trensismo" is used to refer to any kind of subjective opinion that is not based on facts or evidence.

Adjectives ending in "-ado" and "-ido"

In Galician, we have a particularity in the use of some adjectives that end in "-ado" and "-ido". These adjectives are used to express the state or the result of an action. Examples of adjectives that end in "-ado" are: asustado/a (scared), cansado/a (tired), sorprendido/a (surprised). Examples of adjectives that end in "-ido" are: perdido/a (lost), esquecido/a (forgotten), vingado/a (avenged).

These adjectives can also be used to express an opinion, especially when expressing a feeling that results from a certain action. For example, if you think that a movie is scary, you can say "É unha película moi asustada" (It's a very scary movie). Similarly, if you want to say that something is forgotten, you can say "Está esquecido nun caixón" (It's forgotten in a drawer).

Here is an example of a dialogue where two friends are giving their opinions on a book:

• Juan: Ler ese libro deixoume sorprendido. [(Reading that book left me surprised)]
• Ana: A min gustoume moito. Pensaba que ía ser un libro aburrido, pero sorprendeume. [(I liked it a lot. I thought it was going to be a boring book, but it surprised me)]

Notice how Juan used "deixoume sorprendido" to express his opinion on the book. He could have simply said "Para min, o libro é sorprendente" (In my opinion, the book is surprising), but using the adjective made his opinion more vivid and realistic.

Conclusion

Giving your opinion in Galician is an important skill that will help you participate in conversations and express your personality. Remember that opinions are subjective by nature and that we should respect other people's points of view. Also, pay attention to the use of adjectives ending in "-ado" and "-ido", as they can add nuances to your speech and make it more expressive.

To improve your Galician Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Adjectives & Gender.

Other Lessons

• Past Tense
• Future Tense
• Adjectives
• Pronouns
• Imperative Tense
• Negation
• Prepositions
• Gender
• Conditional Tense

Sources

• Personalized Internet Assessor Spain (Galician Language)
• Galician language - Wikipedia
• A Crash Course in the Galician Language