Phrase · B2 · Informal · mainly speech; kind of is especially common in US English
kind of / sort of
KYND uhv / SORT uhv Keep of light; the following meaningful word often carries the main sentence stress.
Used as softeners to make a description or statement less direct, strong, or exact.
nekako; pomalo; donekle — za ublažavanje izjave
Use it
I’m kind of worried that we’re promising too much.
Softens an admission of worry; it does not measure an exact amount.
I sort of expected a quieter place.
Softens a potentially critical statement and comes before the main verb.
Build the sentence
be + kind of/sort of + adjective · kind of/sort of + verb phrase
Memory scene
Turn the verbal volume down: ‘That is awkward’ becomes ‘That is kind of awkward.’ The message remains, but its edges soften.
Watch out
Here kind of and sort of are softeners, not ‘a type of’ as in a kind of bird. Do not add a before the softener in It is kind of strange. Kinda and sorta represent casual speech; use kind of and sort of in normal writing. Avoid vague softeners when an exact commitment is needed.
Nearby language
A more formal degree word, especially before adjectives, without all the conversational uses.
Often softens an adjective but may describe a small degree more directly.
Can classify something as a type, rather than soften the speaker’s stance.
Make it yours
Prijatelj je izabrao restoran koji vam deluje previše bučno, ali ne želite da zvučite grubo.