If someone asked me whether I agree with him and I want to say I don't that agree with the idea. Can I say " I kind of don't think so" or "I kind of think so"? The "kind of " seems a little strange to me, I don't know if it's correctly used or should be replaced by other words~~
1 Answer
You can, in informal conversation, use 'kind of' before a statement to express that you aren't completely sure about something, or that the statement which follows is only partly true.
I kind of like broccoli (I like broccoli, but only a bit)
I kind of believe you (I think I believe you, but I'm not sure).
You could also use 'kind of', 'sort of', 'maybe', etc, to politely express disagreement or disbelief.
If you say 'I kind of don't think so' you mean that you tend not to think so; if you say 'I kind of think so' you mean the opposite.
answered Oct 10, 2022 at 9:28
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Do you think "I kind of don't think so" is as natural as "I kind of like broccoli"?– gotube ♦Commented Oct 10, 2022 at 11:17
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@gotube - I think informal conversation is just that, informal, and I can easily imagine someone saying that, as, evidently, can Jennifer L Holm, in her Newbery Honor-winning, New York Times-bestselling (it says here) 2006 children's novel 'Penny from Heaven': Frankie says he bets Uncle Dominic has a girl down in Florida, but I kind of don’t think so. Most women want a new Frigidaire, not a backseat. Commented Oct 10, 2022 at 12:14
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@MichaelHarvey: Thank you so much Michael. I get it now. I appreciate your help~~– DadaCommented Oct 10, 2022 at 12:59
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@gotube - on reflection, I think that saying 'I kind of don't think so' is awkward and clumsy because it contains redundancy ('think' implies tentativeness and doesn't need 'kind of' as well) but whether it is 'natural' depends on what you mean by that term. Commented Oct 10, 2022 at 13:11
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@MichaelHarvey Same here, I I think that's why the OP asked whether that particular phrase was correct, rather than asking about the meaning of "kind of".– gotube ♦Commented Oct 10, 2022 at 23:15