10 Small Words Native English Speakers Use to Sound Natural

Have you ever noticed that you can build a perfect English sentence but then the second that you actually go to say it out loud it just sounds slightly formal? A little bit like you're reading from a manual instead of actually talking. Now this is not a vocabulary problem and it is This is definitely not a problem with your grammar. The problem here is that textbooks and traditional teaching rarely ever teach transition words. Now when I was learning German, this is the first foreign language that I learned, I was never taught transition words. And then when I was actually living in Germany, I remember picking up on them and realizing, oh, it sounds so much more natural when you just add in these couple words. And it was like a light bulb went off. My language skills, Sounded completely different even though all I added in were a few transition words and that was a huge lesson to me and moving forward when I started to learn Portuguese I really prioritized this. I remember I had zero knowledge of the language and I had lessons with a private tutor and on my first or second day I asked for these transition words because they're essential even Even when you are communicating very basic sentences, You need transition words. So today I'm going to give you this ultimate hack of just 10 small filler words that native English speakers use every day to fill their language and to keep it sounding natural. And stick around for word number seven because it is the easiest fix for instantly making your English sound less robotic. Let's get started. The first word is actually, and if you replay the intro, you probably heard me say it at least once or twice already. Actually is an essential. As a native English speaker, I use it all the time. In textbooks, you're taught that actually means in fact or in reality. And while this is true, that is the technical definition, native speakers use it very differently. We use it as a polite buffer Especially when we're correcting someone, breaking news, or showing a sort of pleasant surprise. So listen to this example. A textbook would tell you to answer like this. No, that is wrong. I do not like tea. Whereas a natural native speaker would just say, oh, actually, I like coffee. The question here would be something like, oh, you like tea, don't you? And the response, no, that is wrong. I do not like tea. It feels rough. It feels harsh. To a native speaker, it feels a little aggressive. You're coming on too strong. A native speaker would just say, oh, actually, I prefer coffee. Like, oh, no, not really, but it feels very gentle. That is very natural, and this we use all the time. Oh, actually, I need to do this. Oh, actually, I like this. Oh, actually... It simply just turns a blunt answer into a friendly interaction. So if you're actually interacting with people in English, you need this word. The second word is anyway. This is your ultimate conversation pivot. Native speakers use anyway all the time to change the topic in a conversation or to pivot back to a story they were already telling. So if you're talking about something and then you go on a tangent completely off, that is completely off topic, then you say, oh, anyway, let's get back to it. Anyway, I was doing this. Or native speakers use anyway to gently wrap up a conversation without feeling like you're rushing it. If you're trying to leave someone's house, for instance, after a dinner party or something like this, and you just keep talking, but you have to go home. You would just say, oh, anyways, we gotta go. And it just feels gentle and soft and warm. So let me give you another example. The textbook would say, we have finished this topic. Let us discuss something else. Whereas a native English speaker would say, Anyway, what were you saying about your weekend? Now these feel completely different. Anyway acts as a smooth verbal bridge when talking. Word number three is honestly. Native speakers use the word honestly at the start of a sentence in order to signal an opinion, a confession, Or a slight disagreement. These would all be good use cases for starting your sentence with honestly. So the textbook would say I do not think that movie was good. Whereas a native English speaker would say, honestly I think it was a bit overrated. Word number four is totally. Instead of always answering with I agree with you or yes that is true, native speakers use totally to show enthusiastic agreement and we use it all the time so here's an example of how you would use it if your friend would say something like that meeting could have been an email instead your response here would be totally, I was thinking the exact same thing and also here you'll notice we say totally or we say yeah totally all the time or no totally depending on how we are agreeing in that moment Our next one is the word basically. Now in a conversation, the word basically starts to signal that you are going to give a sort of summary of a complex idea. So if you're telling a very in-depth story or if you're trying to explain a very complicated issue, you can just signal that with basically and give the short version. So a natural way of using this would be Basically, we need to finish the presentation by Thursday. It just cuts the story short and you can say it all in one sentence. You can summarize it very quickly. We use this all the time when you do not want to tell every single detail. It is a very natural transition to explaining that. Word number six is at least. Native speakers use at least to reframe something negative into something positive and we do it. all the time without even thinking about it. It is very natural to us. So an example would be the textbook would say it rained but it was warm. Whereas a native English speaker would say it rained all day but at least it wasn't cold. Word number seven is just now this is the word I promised you earlier and the word just is the single most powerful word in business English and everyday English for softening requests. Now, there is a huge range of when you are going to use the word just, but we use it all the time. So here are some examples. A phrase or a request goes from feeling very blunt to feeling very natural. So the blunt version would be, can I ask you a question? Whereas the natural version of this is, can I just ask you a question really quickly? It feels so much softer, it doesn't feel like such a hard blunt request. Another example is, the blunt version is, I wanted to check on the report, whereas the natural version is, I just wanted to check on the report really quickly. Now you're just adding in, I just used it there, oh my gosh, you are only adding in the word just, but it feels so much more gentle. And this is really essential when you want to sound more natural and soften your requests. So just see how the word just instantly makes you sound more friendly and less demanding. Word number eight is likewise. Instead of stumbling over the words me too or it was nice to meet you as well, a quick likewise is a very polished native response in these situations. So, for example, the first person says it was great catching up with you. Then the second person says, likewise, let's do it again soon. Our next one is sort of or kinda. Now these are different but they have the same meaning so I'll explain. Native English speakers rarely speak in very rigid absolute terms. We keep things a little vague, a little unclear, and that is just how we express friendliness. And it's also how we make our sentences feel a little more relaxed. So the textbook would tell you to say I am tired today. Whereas a native English speaker is actually going to say, I'm sort of tired today or I'm sort of tired right now. Or they would say something like, I'm kind of busy right now. Sort of and kinda just lower the intensity of the sentence. It's a way that we make our speech feel more accessible, just more everyday. And so these we throw around everywhere. When you are expressing something, just add a sort of or kind of right in there. It will feel super natural. And our last word is the word so. Not the so as in very here, these are different, but so as a sentence starter. Native English speakers start a sentence with so so that they hook the listener's attention before they actually start speaking and say what they have to say. I'm sure I've said so already in this video many times. I remember at the beginning I said, so let's get started. So is a sort of pivot and just a conversation start. And natural usage of this would be, so what are your plans for tonight? Or so here's what happened, right? You're just starting your sentence off that way and you hook listeners right away. So to recap, here is our list of 10 small English words. Actually, anyway, honestly, totally, basically, Luckily, at least, Likewise. Kinda or sorta and so. So I would recommend just picking two or three of these that you are really going to focus on in your conversations over the next week or two. Really think about those and try to use them as often as you can so that they actually become a part of your everyday speech. I know from experience but you are going to be amazed by how quickly your English will This will start to sound more natural and more fluent. And if you want to see the exact 30-minute daily routine that I use to learn three languages to C1 level, click the video right on the screen. I'll catch you in the next one. Thanks for watching. Bye!