I have to say — (sentence)

Use this phrase to introduce an opinion you just formed, which surprised you a little:

I have to say — I think you might be an even better cook than Mom.

I have to say — she's not looking so good these days. I hope she's OK.

kind of (adjective/adverb)

"Kind of" means "a little" or "somewhat". People often use it in spoken English:

I'm kind of shy when it comes to the opposite sex.

It kind of took me by surprise.

You can use "kind of" before an adjective ("kind of shy") or before a verb ("kind of took me by surprise").

Another phrase with a similar meaning is "somewhat":

Most students find that university courses are somewhat more difficult than the classes that they took in high school.

"Somewhat" is more formal. Use "kind of" for most situations and "somewhat" when discussing academic topics or in writing.

The pronunciation of "kind of" sounds like "kinda".

I was disappointed

When you're sad because something wasn't as good as you hoped or expected, you can say that you were "disappointed":

I was disappointed because I had hoped we'd get a chance to meet him.

We say we are “disappointed with” something (not someone):

I was disappointed with the new version.

 And you can say that you're "disappointed in" a person:

They're probably disappointed in me.

Remember that you use "___ed" to talk about how you feel:

I was kind of disappointed.

And you use "___ing" to give your opinion of something:

It (the movie) was kind of disappointing.

Other words that work in this way are:

• I was intimidated / It was intimidating
• I was surprised / It was surprising