其实

qíshí

Actually / in fact (其实)

其实 means “actually / in fact.” It introduces the real situation, often correcting an assumption or adding honest information.

Anchor example

其实我不太喜欢咖啡。

Qíshí wǒ bú tài xǐhuan kāfēi.

Actually, I do not really like coffee.

HSK 3

1 structures

10 exercises

Lesson summary

其实 means “actually / in fact.” It introduces the real situation, often correcting an assumption or adding honest information.

Explanation

其实 means “actually / in fact.” It introduces the real situation, often correcting an assumption or adding honest information. Pay attention to tone and position: 其实 usually appears before the part it comments on or emphasizes, while some uses can start the whole sentence. It should match the communicative purpose: estimate, emphasis, surprise, final answer, explanation, correction, certainty, warning, or contrast. Do not use it just because one Vietnamese or English translation looks similar.

Structure Patterns

1 structures

Grammar pattern

其实

其实 means “actually / in fact.” It introduces the real situation, often correcting an assumption or adding honest information.

这道题看起来难，其实很简单。

Zhè dào tí kàn qǐlái nán, qíshí hěn jiǎndān.

This question looks difficult, but actually it is simple.

其实他已经知道这件事了。

Qíshí tā yǐjīng zhīdào zhè jiàn shì le.

Actually, he already knows about this.

我不是生气，其实只是有点儿累。

Wǒ bú shì shēngqì, qíshí zhǐ shì yǒudiǎnr lèi.

Common Mistakes

putting 其实 randomly at the end of the sentence.place it before the word, phrase, or clause it modifies.
adverbs and discourse markers in Chinese have stable positions.
using 其实 without the right tone or context.choose it only when you need its specific meaning, such as emphasis, discovery, warning, or contrast.

Usage Notes

Core item: 其实.
Position usually comes before the element being emphasized or modified.
Check whether the sentence needs emotion, certainty, discovery, warning, contrast, or approximation.

Practice

10 exercises

1 / 10

Fill in the blank:

___我不太喜欢咖啡。