Transcript of the video lesson:
Hey, this is Joel from worldspanishteacher.com. In this lesson, I want to talk about a common mistake that a lot of Spanish students make.
The mistake is saying “actualmente” when they mean “actually” in English. That’s because “actualmente” is a false cognate with “actually.”
If you want to say “actually,” then you need to say, “en realidad.” It’s like saying “in reality.” So, when you want to say “actually,” don’t say “actualmente.”
In Spanish, “actualmente” means at present, nowadays, now, or currently. So, let me give you a few examples:
“Actualmente trabajo en un banco” – “Nowadays I work at a bank”
“Actualmente voy a la universidad” – “Currently I go to the university”
“El mes pasado estuve en Colombia pero actualmente estoy en Buenos Aires” – “Last month I was in Colombia but now I’m in Buenos Aires”
So remember, “actualmente” does not mean “actually.” “Actually” is “en realidad” – “in reality.”
Well I hope that this lesson was useful for you and that it will make you sound more fluent and more natural when you’re speaking in Spanish.
Don’t forget to go to worldspanishteacher.com for more lessons, my mp3 conversational course to improve your listening skills and idiomatic phrases, and also native Spanish speakers who you can practice your Spanish with and get corrections. Thanks for watching.