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How would say an action that's unintentional and brief like a native ?

One-Cardiologist6452
I'm trying to express that a particular action I took was very brief and unintentional like when you suddenly sneeze, stretch, drink or scroll a social media. These sentences with different adjectives highlighted in **bold**. Which one sounds most natural to natives? Additionally, if none of these feel right, suggestions for rephrasing would be greatly appreciated. Here are the sentences: 1. Please don't be mad at me, that was only **a passing action**, like when you're scratching your back without even realizing it. You likely won't recall it. 2. Please don't be mad at me, that was only **a transient action**, like when you're scratching your back without even realizing it. You likely won't recall it. 3. Please don't be mad at me, that was only **a fleeting action**, like when you're scratching your back without even realizing it. You likely won't recall it. 4. Please don't be mad at me, that was only **a split-second action**, like when you're scratching your back without even realizing it. You likely won't recall it. 5. Alternatively, should I rephrase the sentence entirely? Does the overall sentence structure sound natural to you?

13 comments

HouseFrosty780•
I would consider the words involuntary, reflexive, unconscious, or unwitting.  Without any other context, the structure seems good, and in all of your word choices I can understand what you mean, though I think my suggestions might be closer to what you're looking for. 
GenXCub•
Doing something without being totally aware of what you are doing could be called a subconscious action Though I wouldn't use the phrase subconscious action. I would say I was subconsiously doing XYZ. (and the "doing" is optional, it can sound better without it)
Separate_Draft4887•
In a joking context, you might say it was a “misinput.”
Illustrious-Sea-5596•
They all sound a bit rehearsed and out of place. It’s difficult to give a good answer without knowing a bit more about the supposed misstep that would cause the recipient of this to be mad. Without more context, I can say the following: fleeting doesn’t work, transient is not commonly used and would not help your statement, passing sounds off and ill fitting. The best option from lack of context is the split second action, but the common phrase is split second reaction, which I’m not sure makes sense, again, because we don’t have enough context.
pretentiousgoofball•
Those all sound pretty awkward to me. For those kinds of circumstances I might say something like, “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” Or that I was “on autopilot.” I almost never use the word “recall” unless I’m talking about training a dog to come back. Unfortunately, this seems very specific and I don’t know enough about the situation to offer more personalized suggestions.
InadvertentCineaste•
I would go with "reflexive" for this. All the options you've suggested emphasize the briefness of the action, but don't convey anything about the unintentional quality of it.
MossyPiano•
I'd call it a reflex action. All of your options, while not exactly wrong, are a bit awkward.
Quirky_Property_1713•
None of these sound natural. I think the phrasing would have to be entirely different. What exact situation is this for? What happened?
Evil_Weevill•
None of those sound natural. The whole sentence feels overly wordy and excessively formal. If you did something unintentional that bothered someone, it depends a little on what exactly you did. But in general I'd probably say something like "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Or "Sorry, that was an accident." Or (very informal) "Sorry, my bad." But knowing the context of what you're trying to apologize for would help in knowing how to phrase it.
Falconloft•
Most of the time, if it needs more of an explanation than, 'sorry', I hear, 'that was an accident', or 'my bad'. Most native speakers use colloquialisms a lot more than we realize, so if you want to speak like a native, be prepared to throw proper English out the window at the drop of a hat.
SeparateTea•
I think the word you’re looking for is reflex! That describes an involuntary “autopilot” type of action
DharmaCub•
Instinctual
SnooDonuts6494•
"Sorry"