1108 – How to Use “Apparently” Naturally

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1:00Apparently the restaurant closed last month. She's not coming apparently. Apparently not. Apparently is a very useful word in everyday English, because it allows us to share information that we've learned or heard or believe without saying that we know it for certain. Have you been wondering how you can use apparently in your everyday conversations? If so, then you are in luck. Because for today's English lesson podcast, we're going to talk about how you can use apparently 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 11.08.

2:04How to use apparently naturally. And by the way, if you're enjoying learning English with me, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Let's start with the basic idea. We use apparently when we're sharing information that we believe is true, even if we didn't actually see it happen ourselves. Maybe someone told us. Maybe we read it somewhere. Maybe the situation gives us a reason to believe that it's true. For example, maybe your neighbor says, Hey, what's going on with Jack and Lisa? You could say apparently they're moving to Chicago. In a case like this, you're sharing information that you heard or you learned, even though you haven't confirmed it yourself. Here's another example. Imagine you walked past a restaurant that you used to like to go to, but the windows are all covered.

3:05And later on, you talk to your friend. They might say apparently that restaurant closed last month. Again, the information might be reliable, but they're presenting it as something that they learned rather than something that they personally know for certain. And this gives us a useful difference between they're moving and apparently they're moving. If you say they're moving, you sound quite certain. Maybe you know that is a fact. Maybe they told you directly. But if you say, oh, apparently they're moving. You're leaving yourself a little distance between the information and yourself. You're saying, this is what I've heard or this is what seems to be true. And by the way, we often put apparently at the beginning of a sentence. Apparently the meeting was canceled. Apparently that story is changing owners.

4:06Apparently it's going to snow tonight. This is probably the most common position because it immediately tells the listener how to understand the information that follows. But it's also possible to put apparently at the end of a sentence. For example, he's not coming apparently. Or the train is delayed again apparently. This can sound a little bit more conversational. Almost like you're adding the source or level of certainty after the main information. And sometimes we use apparently based on the situation. Not just something we've heard. Imagine you come into the office and everyone is wearing jackets. And your friend says, what happened? You could say, apparently the heater is not working again. Maybe nobody told you that directly. But the situation gives you enough information to believe that that's what happened. Or you wake up in the morning and you go outside and the ground is wet.

5:08You might think, hmm, apparently it rained last night. In other words, you're making a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence that you have. We can also use apparently when we share information that helps explain a situation. But again, here the information is something that we heard or learned rather than something that we know directly. For example, you know, Mark speaks Japanese really well. Apparently, he lived in Tokyo for five years. Or you know that little Italian restaurant on Broadway? They have a three-month waiting list for a reservation. Apparently, it's really popular. In both of these cases, apparently helps us introduce information that we've heard which explains the situation. And we can also use apparently as a short response. For example, imagine your coworker asks, so is the meeting canceled?

6:08You could say, apparently, that means that's what I've heard. Or it seems that way. When you use apparently this way, you're agreeing, but you're not claiming complete certainty. A very common variation is apparently not. For example, imagine one of your friends' asks, is Jack coming to the party tonight? You could reply, apparently not. That means that you have information that suggests that Jack is most likely not coming. Here's another example. Do that restaurant reopen? Apparently not. Or is the train running on time? Apparently not. Apparently not is a short natural way to say that the information you have points to a negative answer. And the opposite works, too. You can say, apparently so. Again, imagine you're talking to your neighbor. And they ask, hey, are they really selling the house?

7:09You could reply, apparently so. That means that's what I heard, or that's what I understand. Again, you're confirming information without sounding completely certain. So here's the key idea. We use apparently when we have some information that we've heard or learned or believe, but we don't necessarily know it for certain ourselves. They're moving. Sounds more direct and certain. Apparently they're moving. Sounds more like I believe this to be true based on something I heard. We can use apparently at the beginning or the end of a sentence. And you can use apparently, apparently not, and apparently so as a standalone phrase. So here's your challenge. Think of some news that you've heard recently that you could tell some with using apparently.

8:10And then write some example sentences in your notebook using this word. Because you know, the best way to remember English like this in any other word or phrase 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. This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please visit MyHappyEnglish.com. Show your support for Happy English by leaving us a review. Get English, get happy, happy English.