English learners, do you know the difference between “opportunity” and “possibility”?

This came up in my Women’s Conversation Club yesterday.

👉 An opportunity is a chance to do something you want to do - something good, interesting or exciting.

👉 A possibility is just something that might happen - good or bad.

The most common mistake I hear is:

❌ I had the possibility to …

But in English we say:

✔️ I had the opportunity to …

Examples:

I had the opportunity to speak English with native speakers.

I often have the opportunity to travel for work.

But:

There is a possibility that I'll move abroad next year.

Bad weather is a possibility.