Let’s go to learn Spanish! #2

Let’s go to learn Spanish! #2
Let’s go to learn Spanish! #2
Posted in ELE, Español como Lengua Extranjera, Intermediate level, Learning Spanish, Let's go to learn Spanish!, Nivel intermedio, Spanish as a foreign language

FALSE FRIENDS

What is a false friend? According to linguists Maxime Kœssler and Jules Derocquigny, false friends (or bilingual homophones) are words in two or more languages that look or sound similar, but differ in meaning significantly.

The origin of the term is as a shortened version of the expression “false friend of a translator”, the English translation of a French expression introduced into the English language by translators.

Today, we would like to talk about one of the most typical false friends between English and Spanish: the adverb actualmente.

Actualmente means nowadays, currently or now:

    • Nací en Italia, pero actualmente vivo en España
    • [I was born in Italy, but I live in Spain currently]

It should not be confused with actually, which can be transladed as en realidad:

    • No sé si esta historia ocurrió en realidad
    • [I don’t know if this story actually happened]

 

 

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