Common mistakes made by Spanish learners of English.
Ever wondered why speakers of a certain language tend to make the same grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary mistakes when learning a foreign language? Well, linguists blame it on our natural instinct to translate from our mother tongue. For example, speakers of romance languages like Italian or Spanish drop in too many articles and prepositions when translating literally from their native language : "i will to call to my mother" or " i love the tennis" ; does that sound familiar?
Let´s *shed some light on the matter and start with the difference between Actually and Currently.
Actually = in reality = de hecho/en realidad
e.g - You like eggs, right? - Te gustan los huevos, no?
- No, actually I'm allergic to them. - No, de hecho soy alérgico a ellos.
Currently= now = actualmente
e.g - Currently, I´m learning English. - Actualmente estoy aprendiendo inglés.
- Mike´s currently unemployed . – Mike está desempleado actualmente.
In conclusion actually ≠ actualmente , they are false friends which means that even though the two words look or sound similar in Spanish and English they have different meanings.
Extra vocabulary :
* shed light on something = clarify/ explain = sacar de una duda/ clarificar
e.g. The police tried to shed light on the man´s death. – La policía intentó arrojar luz sobre la muerte del hombre.
If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about common mistakes, phrasal verbs, useful phrases and tips for the PET- FCE-CAE Cambridge exams- comment and follow.
