/ah-two-al-mint-uh/
đźš« English speakers think: Actually (in reality, in fact)
âś… Actually means: Currently, right now
This is one of the “False Friend” adverbs that constantly tricks English speakers. Because it ends in -mente (like our -ly), your brain screams “Actually!” But if you use it to correct someone, you’re just confusing them by talking about time, not truth.
Example in Context
“Atualmente moro em Lisboa.” → “I currently live in Lisbon.” (Not “I actually live in Lisbon.”)
How to say “Actually”
If you want to correct a misconception or emphasize the truth, you usually want na verdade or de facto.
- Na verdade, não gosto de bacalhau. → “Actually, I don’t like cod.”
Related False Friend
Portuguese is full of these tricky lookalikes. Another one that gets used incorrectly in the exact same way is Eventualmente, which sounds like “eventually” but… isn’t.
Memory Trick
Think Atual = Current (like “Current Events”). Therefore, Atualmente = Currently.