FALSE FRIEND: ACTUALLY

Good morning / afternoon /evening everyone, depending on when you are reading this. I hope you are having a good day!

Today we look at one final false friend for Spanish and Catalan speakers. 

Today's word is: actually (adverb)

It's used: for emphasising that something is really true or surprising, or to emphasise what really happened.

Example 1: There is a difference between saying that you're going to learn English and actually doing what is necessary to reach your goals.

Example 2: Wow! My daughter is actually studying her English! I haven't seen her work this hard in a long time.

Remember! Actually does NOT mean 'presently' or 'at this moment,' like the same word in Spanish/Catalan. Depending on the context, its translation would be 'en realidad / realitat,' 'realmente / realment' or 'de hecho / de fet.'

For example, the translation of the 2003 Hollywood film "Love Actually" would actually be something like 'Amor, en realidad,' and NOT 'Amor Actual.'

To help you remember the true meaning of this "false friend," I encourage you to write your own sentence and post it on one of our social media sites (Facebook or Bluesky); we will give you feedback about your writing as soon as we can. The more you use the word, the more you will remember its correct meaning.

Enjoy the rest of your day and have an excellent weekend!