Speaker 1: Have you ever noticed how people use the word actually
in conversation. It's one of those small words that shows
up all the time, but it doesn't always mean the
same thing. Sometimes actually is used to correct someone, sometimes
it adds new information, and sometimes actually help soften disagreement,
so you don't sound too direct like someone might say, actually,
I already did that, or actually there's another option, or
even actually I think we should wait. So in today's
podcast English Lesson, we're going to look at several very
practical ways that you can use actually in every day English.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode Oney thirteen practical
uses of actually in everyday English. Let's start off with
one of the most common uses of actually, and that
is correcting assumptions. We use actually when someone says something
that isn't correct or when they assume something that's not
true and we want to gently correct them. Like imagine
a coworker says, uh, hey, can you send that email
to the client you might reply, actually, I already sent
it this morning. In that situation, actually helps you correct
the misunderstanding in a calm and natural way. Here's another example.
Maybe a friend says, huh, you don't like spicy food, right,
You could say, actually, I do like spicy food. Or
imagine someone thinks you're busy this weekend and says, ah, yes,
your working all weekend. Again, you might reply, actually, I'm
free this weekend. Have I ever said that? So when
we use actually like this, we're correcting what the other
person thinks, but we're doing it in a polite, gentle,
and conversational way. Another very common use of actually is
when we want to add information or introduce new idea.
In these situations actually helps signal that what you're about
to say is something the listener may not know yet.
Like imagine you and a friend are planning dinner and
your friend says, let's go to that Italian place. You
might respond, actually, there's a new restaurant that just opened
down the street. Here's another example. Maybe you're talking about
travel plans and someone says are you flying to Osaka?
You might say, actually, I'm taking the train. Or at work,
if someone suggests one idea, you might say, actually, we
could try a different approach. In these situations, the word
actually introduces new or additional information in a smooth, natural way.
Another important use of actually is for soft disagreement. In
English conversation, we often try to avoid sounding too direct
when we disagree with someone. Using actually helps make your
disagreement sound more polite and less confrontational. For example, imagine
a friend says I think this movie is really boring.
You might respond, actually, I think it's pretty interesting. The
word actually softens the disagreement. And here's another example. Maybe
a coworker says we should finish this project today. You
might reply, actually, I think we should wait until we
have more information. Or imagine someone says this restaurant has
the best pizza in the city. You could say, you know, actually,
I think the place we went to last week was better.
In all of these cases, actually helps you express a
different opinion in a more gentle and conversational way. And
here's something important to keep in mind. The tone of
voice matters a lot when you use actually. If you
say it with a neutral or friendly tone, it sounds
helpful and natural. But if you stress the word too much,
like actually, I think we should do it tomorrow. It
can sound a little rude or like you're correcting someone
too strongly, so when you use actually, it's usually better
to keep your tone relaxed. So let's recap. Native speakers
use the word actually in several practical ways in everyday English. First,
we use actually to correct assumptions. Actually, I already did that. Second,
we use actually to add new information or additional information. Actually,
there's another opinion. And lastly, we use actually to soften disagreement. Actually,
I think we should wait. It's a simple word, but
it plays a big role in making your English sound
more natural and conversational. So here's your challenge this week.
Try using actually in one of these situations. Maybe you
need to correct someone politely, or add a new idea
to a conversation, or express your opinion in a softer way.
And as you listen to English around you, notice how
often people use actually. Once you start paying attention, you'll
hear it everywhere. And keep in mind the best way
to remember English like this and any other word or
phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase
write it in a sentence that's true for you or
true in your world. And then memorize as your sentences. Hey,
thanks for listening, and remember, learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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