Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

What does "actually" mean in this dialogue?

A: You think you learn as much from online classes as from regular ones?
B: ____________. Actually, I had to spend more time studying.

1) Absolutely not
2) Yes, certainly

I feel that "actually" offer an opposite idea of what is normally expected, so I'm tempted to choose 1). But 1) seems a bit exaggerated.

Thank you,

Nawee

[CP]

The "actually" is more or less the same as "in fact" or "as a matter of fact" or "in truth" here.

"You think you learn as much from online classes as from regular ones?"
"Absolutely not. Actually, I had to spend more time studying."

He's saying that, in fact, he had to spend more time studying to learn the same amount of material.
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