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Speaker 1: Have you ever noticed how people use the word actually

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in conversation. It's one of those small words that shows

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up all the time, but it doesn't always mean the

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same thing. Sometimes actually is used to correct someone, sometimes

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it adds new information, and sometimes actually help soften disagreement,

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so you don't sound too direct like someone might say, actually,

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I already did that, or actually there's another option, or

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even actually I think we should wait. So in today's

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podcast English Lesson, we're going to look at several very

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practical ways that you can use actually in every day English.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast coming to you from

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New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.

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Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael

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here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

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And this is Happy English Podcast Episode Oney thirteen practical

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uses of actually in everyday English. Let's start off with

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one of the most common uses of actually, and that

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is correcting assumptions. We use actually when someone says something

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that isn't correct or when they assume something that's not

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true and we want to gently correct them. Like imagine

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a coworker says, uh, hey, can you send that email

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to the client you might reply, actually, I already sent

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it this morning. In that situation, actually helps you correct

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the misunderstanding in a calm and natural way. Here's another example.

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Maybe a friend says, huh, you don't like spicy food, right,

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You could say, actually, I do like spicy food. Or

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imagine someone thinks you're busy this weekend and says, ah, yes,

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your working all weekend. Again, you might reply, actually, I'm

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free this weekend. Have I ever said that? So when

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we use actually like this, we're correcting what the other

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person thinks, but we're doing it in a polite, gentle,

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and conversational way. Another very common use of actually is

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when we want to add information or introduce new idea.

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In these situations actually helps signal that what you're about

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to say is something the listener may not know yet.

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Like imagine you and a friend are planning dinner and

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your friend says, let's go to that Italian place. You

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might respond, actually, there's a new restaurant that just opened

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down the street. Here's another example. Maybe you're talking about

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travel plans and someone says are you flying to Osaka?

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You might say, actually, I'm taking the train. Or at work,

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if someone suggests one idea, you might say, actually, we

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could try a different approach. In these situations, the word

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actually introduces new or additional information in a smooth, natural way.

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Another important use of actually is for soft disagreement. In

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English conversation, we often try to avoid sounding too direct

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when we disagree with someone. Using actually helps make your

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disagreement sound more polite and less confrontational. For example, imagine

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a friend says I think this movie is really boring.

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You might respond, actually, I think it's pretty interesting. The

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word actually softens the disagreement. And here's another example. Maybe

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a coworker says we should finish this project today. You

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might reply, actually, I think we should wait until we

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have more information. Or imagine someone says this restaurant has

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the best pizza in the city. You could say, you know, actually,

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I think the place we went to last week was better.

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In all of these cases, actually helps you express a

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different opinion in a more gentle and conversational way. And

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here's something important to keep in mind. The tone of

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voice matters a lot when you use actually. If you

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say it with a neutral or friendly tone, it sounds

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helpful and natural. But if you stress the word too much,

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like actually, I think we should do it tomorrow. It

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can sound a little rude or like you're correcting someone

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too strongly, so when you use actually, it's usually better

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to keep your tone relaxed. So let's recap. Native speakers

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use the word actually in several practical ways in everyday English. First,

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we use actually to correct assumptions. Actually, I already did that. Second,

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we use actually to add new information or additional information. Actually,

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there's another opinion. And lastly, we use actually to soften disagreement. Actually,

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I think we should wait. It's a simple word, but

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it plays a big role in making your English sound

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more natural and conversational. So here's your challenge this week.

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Try using actually in one of these situations. Maybe you

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need to correct someone politely, or add a new idea

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to a conversation, or express your opinion in a softer way.

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And as you listen to English around you, notice how

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often people use actually. Once you start paying attention, you'll

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hear it everywhere. And keep in mind the best way

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to remember English like this and any other word or

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phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase

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write it in a sentence that's true for you or

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true in your world. And then memorize as your sentences. Hey,

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thanks for listening, and remember, learning another language is not easy,

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but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you

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on your journey.

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Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English Pleads.

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Visit Myhappy English dot com. Show your support for Happy

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English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get happy,

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