 Do you have a question or a doubt from espressoenglish.net? Students often say, I have a doubt, and then ask me something about the English language. However, native English speakers don't usually say it this way. If you want to know the answer about something, you should say, I have a question. So when can we use the word doubt? Well, the word doubt in English is more often used as a verb. It means to be uncertain, with somewhat of a negative connotation. You are expressing that you do not have confidence about something, or you believe something probably won't happen, or is not true. For example, I doubt that my team will win the championship. This means I think my team is not likely to win. After reading that book, I started to doubt some of my beliefs. This means I began to feel uncertain that my beliefs were true or reliable. My kids have always doubted the existence of Santa Claus. This means my kids always suspected that Santa Claus did not actually exist. When used with the word have, we typically use doubts in the plural, followed by about. For example, I have my doubts about his ability to do the job. This means I am not 100% certain that he can do the job. The senator has some doubts about whether the new law will be effective. This means the senator is not confident about the new law. We can also say a situation is in doubt if it is uncertain, it is not yet decided or resolved. For example, they haven't yet finished the scientific study so the outcome is still in doubt, meaning it's not yet finalized. The company has been having financial problems and its future is in doubt, meaning its future is uncertain, the company may succeed or it may fail. Let's look at more expressions with the word doubt. Room for doubt. If there's room for doubt, it means that there is a chance that a situation may not be exactly as it seems. For example, don't believe everything you read on the internet, there's always room for doubt. Plant or sow a seed of doubt. This expression means to do or say something that makes another person begin to feel doubt, begin to feel uncertain or suspicious. For example, she claimed she wasn't cheating on her husband, but her frequent phone calls to another man planted a seed of doubt in his mind, meaning that her actions caused her husband to begin to feel uncertain or suspicious. Give someone the benefit of the doubt means to decide to believe or trust someone in a situation where you could choose either to believe or not to believe him or her. Here are some examples. The boss doesn't track our time, she gives us the benefit of the doubt. This means she trusts the employees to work appropriate hours without directly tracking the time. My brother broke my computer and said it was an accident. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. This means I believe his claim that it was accidental and he didn't do it on purpose. No doubt, and without a doubt, are used when you are very certain or very confident about something. You can also use without a shadow of a doubt for even more emphasis on the fact that you are 100% certain. For example, she's so smart, she'll do well in college, no doubt. This means she will definitely do well in college. There's no doubt that this medication works, it has been tested extensively and proven to have great results. This is, without a doubt, the best chocolate cake I've ever had. I've known him for 10 years and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that he's an honest man. English has a lot of words that seem to be the same, but native speakers actually use them in different situations. This is where a lot of English learners make mistakes. I've collected 600 confusing words and I'll teach you how to use them in my e-book, 600 plus confusing English words explained. It has simple, clear lessons explaining each of these words with examples so that you can use them more confidently. Click on the link in the video or in the video description to get the 600 confusing English words explained e-book.