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The word "actually" is widely used more or less in the same context as "in fact":

You're a doctor, right?

Yes ... well, actually / in fact I haven't graduated yet.

But, is "actually" also used to talk about the present? (like "currently")

What do you do for a living?

Actually / Currently, I'm working at an Insurance Company.

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juliomalegria
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    I have never come across this usage. None of the existing answers imply any support for it, nor would any dictionaries. I'm voting to close as "too localised" on the grounds that OP may be the only person who thinks actually can mean currently. Perhaps he conflates it with French "actuellement", which does mean "currently". – FumbleFingers Jan 06 '12 at 05:12
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    @FumbleFingers: If someone's native language interferes with their understanding of English, should we consider their questions "too localised"? – Irene Jan 06 '12 at 08:49
  • @Irene: I think each of us must make up our own mind about both the general principle and its applicability in any specific case. Germans, for example, seem particularly prone to speak of "a software" - so I wouldn't want this question closed, since it seems relevant to a lot of people. But for the current question there's still no evidence that anyone except OP makes this mistake, so I stand by my vote to close. – FumbleFingers Jan 06 '12 at 16:02
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    @FumbleFingers: for spanish native speakers this mistake is very frequent, this is because in spanish we say "actualmente" to say "currently" or "at the moment", so a lot of people think "actually" is the perfect translation. So, maybe the question is "too localised" for a native english speaker, but it isn't for the rest of world (for whom this website is for) – juliomalegria Jan 06 '12 at 20:46
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    @FumbleFingers: Indeed, most Latin-derived languages use the root "actual" to convey the sense of "current time". Spanish, French, Galician, Portuguese and Italian for sure, at least. I don't see this is a too localised issue at all. It is a good example of a faux ami that may confuse many people. Furthermore, aktuell in German means both "actual" and "current", so the confusion is served, and hence the need for clarification. – CesarGon Jan 06 '12 at 22:22
  • @CesarGon: I know all that, and your comment is entirely conveyed simply by your not voting to close. I just point out that no-one else has acknowledged a tendency to be tripped up by this one. Actually, now I come to think of it, Anglophones say "actually" so often (particularly in conversation), that non-native speakers probably latch on to to it really quickly (which lulls them into a false sense of security, thinking that all our idiomatic usages are that transparent... :) – FumbleFingers Jan 06 '12 at 22:50
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    @FumbleFingers: Well, I can't vote to close because I haven't reached the necessary reputation yet. But most importantly, I think that at least Julio and I have clearly shown the potentiality that people get tripped up by this issue. I have argued about a number of languages and why this is so; if you know all that, then I would expect that you empathised and found the question equally relevant. :-) – CesarGon Jan 07 '12 at 14:26
  • @FumbleFingers Quite the reverse I would suggest. English is in the minority here. Unusually we employ a French - or Romance - word to mean something entirely different to what it means across most of Europe. It confused me when I first lived in France - always wondering why people found it necessary to refer to e.g. "the actual time" (l'heure actuel). All they were saying was "the present time". But the French have right on their side. English derived from French and not the other way round - so in these cases we are always in the wrong. – WS2 Sep 29 '21 at 20:49

4 Answers4

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"Actually" is used to talk about what is true or accurate. In your example sentence, you could instead write, "To be accurate, I'm working at an insurance company", and get a somewhat similar meaning.

"Currently" is used to talk about what is happening now. In your example sentence, you could instead write, "At the moment, I'm working at an insurance company", and get a somewhat similar meaning.

"Actually" does not imply "now". You could equally write, "Actually, last year I worked at an insurance company". But you could not write, "Currently, last year I worked at an insurance company."

MetaEd
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Actually can be used in the present, but your second example doesn't make sense. In contexts like these, actually is generally used to contradict something said:

Person 1: You're a doctor, right?

Person 2: Actually, I'm a nurse.

Currently is used to indicate something that is happening now, and actually can be used like that too, so long as it is correcting/contradicting something.

In some cases, actually can be used to mean currently without being contradictory, but usually (in my experience) it is only used like that when the information will be coming as a surprise:

Person 1 (knows Person 2 as drug addict from high school): So, do you have a job?

Person 2: Actually, I'm a lawyer.

  • When you say Actually, I'm a nurse, that doesn't mean At the moment, I'm a nurse. My question was if "actually" can be used as "currently" or "at the moment" without being a contradiction. – juliomalegria Jan 06 '12 at 04:44
  • @julio.alegria I shall edit my answer. –  Jan 06 '12 at 04:47
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    @julio.alegria: No, "actually" is not a synonym for "currently". – MrHen Jan 06 '12 at 04:48
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Yes it can be used for presentense as well. Generally you

Did you have your lunch? Actually, I have a small party today. So, I would prefer going there.

How about a cup of coffee?

Actually, I am having little head ache. So, I would prefer tea.

EnthuDeveloper
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  • So if you say that "actually" can be used for presentense, does Actually, I am having little head ache. can be replace for At the moment / Currently, I am having little head ache. keeping the same meaning? (that's the main point of my question) – juliomalegria Jan 06 '12 at 04:46
  • Yes it is possible. – EnthuDeveloper Jan 06 '12 at 04:47
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    I am sorry, but EnthuDeveloer is not right. 'Actually' is not a synonym for 'currently' or 'at the moment'. 'Actually' is a prime example of a 'false friend'. This Spanish website lists 'actually' among many other English /Spanish false friends: http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curious/falsefriends.html – Shoe Jan 06 '12 at 07:45
  • very useful information @Shoe, I didn't know about those "false friends", we (the spanish speakers) make those kind of mistakes frequently. – juliomalegria Jan 06 '12 at 20:53
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No. "Actually" simply does not mean "currently" or "presently," in any sense of the word.

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