Consider this sentence:
- What does Mr. Morales think about the actual Brexit crisis?
Here the use of “actual” is incorrect, the correct form of the sentence being:
- What does Mr. Morales think about the present (or current) Brexit crisis?
“Actual” means “real” o verdadero”. “Actual” in English never means “actual” in Spanish, which one translates (que se traduce por) as present or current. Let´s look at some examples:
- Alejandro says he is 28, but his actual age is 48 (Alejandro dice que tiene veintiocho años pero en realidad tiene cuarenta y ocho).
- Those were his actual words (ésas fueron sus palabras textuales).
- What were his actual words (¿cuales fueron sus palabras exactas?)?
- The judge cited actual cases (el juez citó cases reales).
The adverb “actually” means “en realidad” and in English it is used for emphasis or to correct a misconception (una idea falsa). Consider this example:
- Mr. Morales is actually very bright (en realidad el Señor Morales es muy inteligente).
- Actually, I would not rather go (la verdad es que preferiría no ir).
