Having said that

[explorelang]

Hi,

Could someone please explain me how and when to use 'Having said that' in the beginning of a sentence?

I heard somebody saying it but didn't really understand the meaning.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks and Regards

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by explorelang

Hi,
Could someone please explain me how and when to use 'Having said that' in the beginning of a sentence?
I heard somebody saying it but didn't really understand the meaning.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks and Regards

It a linking phrase or conjunction which people use in different ways to join two clauses. It is quite general and can be used to replace other conjunctions, but I tend to use it when I want to put the opposite view or qualify what I said in the first clause. It is better used at the beginning when the second clause is a new sentence.

I love teaching English. However/Having said that/On the other hand, students can be annoying!
London is a very expensive city. Having said that/Neverthless I love living there.

So the literal meaning is "Having said what I have just said" - which is very complicated!