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997 - How Native Speakers Soften Statements in English
About this Episode
Episode 1000 of the Happy English Podcast drops on February 28, and I’d really love to include you in it. If you’ve been listening for a while and this podcast has helped you in any way, please send me a short message — about 20 to 40 seconds. Just tell me your first name, where you’re listening from, how long you’ve been listening, and how the podcast has helped you.
You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at [email protected]. If you’d rather write a message instead, that’s totally fine too. Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can’t wait to hear from you.
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 every 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.
Have you ever noticed that native English speakers don’t always speak in extremes? We often use phrases to soften our language like, “I’m kind of tired.” “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: kind of, sort of, 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.
The Happy English Podcast
Helping people speak English better since 2014
Over 1,000 episodes • 8 million downloads
📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses
https://www.myhappyenglish.com
You can record it on your phone in a quiet room and email the audio file to me at [email protected]. If you’d rather write a message instead, that’s totally fine too. Some of your messages will be featured in Episode 1000. Please send them by February 27. I can’t wait to hear from you.
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 every 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.
Have you ever noticed that native English speakers don’t always speak in extremes? We often use phrases to soften our language like, “I’m kind of tired.” “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: kind of, sort of, 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.
The Happy English Podcast
Helping people speak English better since 2014
Over 1,000 episodes • 8 million downloads
📘 Build your vocabulary with my free Vocabulary Workshop
https://learn.myhappyenglish.com/vocabulary-workshop-signup
🎥 Watch video versions of the Happy English Podcast on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@HappyEnglishNY/podcasts
🌐 Learn more about my English lessons and courses
https://www.myhappyenglish.com
Hosts & Guests
No transcript available for this episode.
