Speaker 1: People often say that Americans speak very directly. Have you
ever heard that? Have you ever thought that? Well, in
some cases it's true, but quite often in everyday English conversation,
we tend to soften our language in order to sound
less direct. And that's what today's podcast English Lesson is
all about.
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 nine to ninety seven,
how native speakers soften statements in English. And before we
get started, I have something special coming up. Episode one
thousand of the Happy English Podcast drops on February twenty eighth,
and I'd really love to include you in it. Yes, you,
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Michael at Myhappy English dot com. That's Michael at Myhappy
English dot com. And if you'd rather write a message instead,
that's totally fine too. Some of your messages will be
featured in episode one thousand, so please send them by
February twenty. I can't wait to hear from you. Okay,
let's dive into today's topic. Have you ever noticed that
native speakers don't always speak in extremes. We often use
phrases to soften our language, like I'm kinda tired, or
it's a bit cold outside, or when someone asks are
you hungry, we don't always say no, we say not really.
Native speakers soften things all the time. So today we're
going to look at five very common softening phrases kinda, sorta,
a bit, a little and not really. These small phrases
can completely change your tone and make your English sound
more natural, more polite, and more conversational. Let's start with
kind of. We use kind of to make something sound
less strong and less direct instead of sounding one hundred
percent certain or dramatic. Kind of reduces the intensity. And
here was a pronunciation tip. We usually say kind of
like kinda like, imagine you stayed up too late watching Netflix,
and the next morning your coworker says, huh, you look tired.
You could reply with, yeah, I'm kinda tired today. That
sounds softer and more casual than saying yes, I'm tired today.
Or let's say you try a new restaurant and your
friend asks, so how was it? If you didn't love it,
but you don't want to be harsh, you might say
it was kind of expensive for what we got. That
sounds honest but not aggressive. Sort of works almost exactly
the same way. Sort of also softens a statement and
makes it less direct and just like kind of sounds
like kinda sort of is usually pronounced sorta in casual speech,
like I sort of get it or I'm sort of confused.
For example, if your manager asks did you understand the
new system and you're not completely confident, you might say, yeah,
I sort of get it. That sounds more natural than
saying I do not understand. Or imagine your friend asks
are you mad, and you don't want to start a
big discussion, you might say, no, I'm not mad, I'm
just sort of frustrated. Again, sorta softens the feeling and
it's very natural now let's move on to a bit
and a little. These are also softeners, but they usually
describe degree, especially with adjectives. Imagine you're at a friend's
house and they ask if comfortable. Instead of saying it's
hot in here, which can sound like a complaint, you
might say it's a bit warm in here, or it's
a little warm. That sounds much more polite and relaxed.
Or imagine you're trying a dish at a restaurant and
your friend asks what you think. Instead of saying it's salty,
you might say it's a little salty. That softens your
opinion and makes it sound less critical. Here's another one.
If you're watching a movie and your friend asks are
you following the story? Instead of saying this doesn't make
any sense, you might say, hmm, I'm a bit confused.
And if someone asks how you're feeling after a long day,
instead of saying I'm exhausted, you could say I'm a
little tired. These small changes make your English sound calm
and natural. Now let's talk about not really. Not really
is a common soft negative answer in English. Instead of
saying a hard no, we often say not really. Like
if a friend asks are you hungry, you can say
not really, I just ate. That sounds a lot softer
than just saying no. Or imagine your friend says, hey,
did you like the movie and you didn't love it?
Instead of saying no, it was bad, you might say,
not really, it was kind of slow. Notice how we
can combine these softeners. Here's another situation. Your coworker asks,
are you finished with that project? If you're almost done
but not completely, you might say not really, I still
need about an hour. Again, not really avoids a blunt response,
so let's step back for a second. Speakers soften statements
for three main reasons. First, to avoid sounding too strong
or too dramatic. That's where kinda and sorta come in. Second,
to be polite, especially when describing problems are giving feedback.
That's where a bit and a little are useful. Third,
to soften negative answers. That's where not really shines. These
small phrases don't weaken your English, they actually make you
sound more socially aware and more fluent. So here's your
challenge this week. Instead of saying I'm tired, try saying
I'm kinda tired. And instead of saying it's cold, say
it's a bit cold, and instead of saying no, try not. Really,
That's how you start sounding more natural. 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 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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