Learn English – Alternatives to “actually”

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I know a lot of non-native-english-speakers (including myself) who use the word "actually" very often.

What are alternative words to use instead of the word "actually"?

My other favorite is "obviously".

I guess what am I looking for is some keywords to use while connecting the sentences.

Some examples:

  • Actually, I'm just asking to know.
  • Actually, I don't think that it's true.
  • Actually, he was so kind to me.
  • Actually, I'm not sure.
  • Actually, that was what I thought.

Best Answer

@StoneyB gave some good examples.

I will expand upon it by saying that "Acutally" as a lead-in word is not always appropriate and can be misleading or confusing. You should generally only use "actually" when you are contradicting or negating something that was previously said.

Examples:
A: "I thought that person was very rude."
B: "Actually, he was very kind to me."

A: "The capital of Germany is Frankfurt."
B: "Actually, the capital of Germany is Berlin."

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