Spanish word

actual

Pronunciation

IPA/akˈtwal/

Meaning

  • adjectivecurrent

Example

La situación actual es complicada.

The current situation is complicated.

Illustration for actual (current)

More examples

Necesitamos información actual para tomar decisiones.

We need current information to make decisions.

Core concept

A fact or condition applying to the present.

Common phrases

  • información actual

    current information

  • fecha actual

    current date

Similar words

presente: Being at a place or time right now.
reciente: Dating from only a short time ago.

Definition in Spanish

Perteneciente o relativo al tiempo presente; que existe o sucede ahora.

Word origin

Borrowed from Latin actualis (from actus 'act') with an original sense of 'being in action' that in Spanish comes to mark things tied to the present.

Usage tips

  • Common collocations are situación actual and problema actual, and because English actually does not equal Spanish actual, use en realidad or de hecho when the intended sense is 'actually'.

Other meanings

  • modernadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • actualizaciónupdatenoun
  • actualizadoupdatedadjective
  • actualmentecurrentlyadverb

Word lists with this word