If you do something subconsciously, part of your mind is making you do it, but you are not aware of that part. You just act — and only later, maybe, do you see why. A person may subconsciously copy the accent of the people around them, or subconsciously avoid a street where something bad once happened. The word almost always describes a real cause, but a hidden one: it says the reason is inside you, not that there is no reason. Notice how people use it. It is very often used to explain behaviour after the fact — 'I think I was subconsciously trying to make him angry.' That is a guess about yourself, said softly, and the word is doing polite work: it lets you admit something without fully owning it. It also softens blame when talking about others ('she probably wasn't being rude, just subconsciously nervous'). In everyday talk people use it loosely for anything they did without thinking, which is looser than a psychologist would allow — a doctor keeps 'subconscious' for buried feelings and desires, not for habits like tying your shoes. Both uses are common; the loose one is more common. It is a slightly serious, thoughtful word — you meet it in articles, therapy talk, and adverts about why we buy things, more than in a quick chat with a friend.