The French Word of the Day is the adverb actuellement — a tricky false friend that means “currently,” not “actually.”
Meaning
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Related words
Meaning
Actuellement is a faux ami (false cognate) — it looks like “actually” but means “currently” or “at the moment.” For example, Je travaille actuellement sur un nouveau projet means “I’m currently working on a new project.”
Pronunciation
Example sentences
In this example, both à la retraite and retraité mean “retired” in French.
Je suis actuellement sur la Côte d’Azur et je suis à la retraite !
I’m currently on the French Riviera and I’m retired!
The adjective actuel (or actuelle in the feminine) means “current” or “present.”
Je vous dis que vous ne comprennez pas le problème actuel !
I’m telling you that you don’t understand the current issue!
Another way to say “now,” “currently,” or “these days” in French is en ce moment. Tu fais quoi ? is an informal way of asking Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? (“What are you doing?”).
Ça fait longtemps ! Tu fais quoi en ce moment ?
It’s been a while! What are you doing now?
“Actually” in English translates to en fait in French. In this sentence, the verb marcher (to walk, to work/function) is used in the simple future tense.
En fait, je suis sûr que ton idée marchera!
Actually, I’m sure your idea will work!
Words related to actuellement
- toujours – always / still (depending on context)
- aujourd’hui – today
- en ce moment – at the moment / these days
- en attendant – meanwhile
- bientôt – soon
- désormais – from now on
- récemment – recently
- temporairement – temporarily
- provisoirement – provisionally
- à présent – now / currently
Keep growing your French skills!
Now that you’ve mastered actuellement, keep building your French by exploring our French Word of the Day series. You may also enjoy browsing our vocabulary lists for more useful words and expressions!
