“I guess I just wanted to expand my horizons.”
You moved from your home country to the United States after college. A person you recently met is asking you why you moved there. Your reason was just to learn new things and see what life was like in the U.S., so you say this.
I guess I just wanted to expand my horizons.
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I guess (clause)
You can use "I guess..." at the start of your answer to a question for a few reasons:
- to show that you're not sure of your answer
- to show that you just thought of the answer after you were asked the question
- to show that you're thinking carefully about your answer, and not just repeating an answer that you've given before
So it's a good idea to start your answer with "I guess" when someone asks you a personal question about why you made a certain decision. There are also other reasons for using "I guess".
expand (one's) horizons
To "expand your horizons" means to gain experiences, and to learn about different cultures and ways of living. People often use this phrase to talk about visiting other countries, getting new jobs, or getting more education. "Expanding your horizons" sounds very positive and optimistic.
This phrase uses the word "horizon", which is the line where the ground and the sky seem to touch each other. So you can imagine that "expanding" your horizon means that the area you are able to see becomes larger.