1013 - Practical Uses of “Actually” in Everyday English

Dog grooming genius here. Most people see a busy dog salon, but I see operational excellence.

Thanks to genius, from global payments. Scheduling, personalized, checkouts, instant,

absolutely genius. From game day crowds to every groomer in this shop,

genius keeps everything flowing seamlessly. Flawless execution, big league reliability for

any business. That's genius. Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology podcast,

a long time reporter and an on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to

figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week

on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying

to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft,

Amazon and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices,

and meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology podcast

wherever you get your podcasts. 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 helps 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 everyday English.

Welcome to another happy English podcast coming to you from New York City and here's your

English teacher, Michael. Alright, 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

2013, 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, 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, oh,

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, I guess you're working all weekend again.

You might reply, actually I'm free this weekend. Have I ever said that? Hmm. 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 a 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 co-worker 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 every day 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 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.

Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology podcast, a long time reporter and an

on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial

intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology,

I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it,

asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and plenty more.

So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, and meetings with your

colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology podcast wherever you get your podcasts.