All Episodes

August 15, 2025 18 mins

Last time, we talked about false friends—words that look similar in English and your native language, but mean something very different.

Get the text on my website: https://speakenglishpodcast.com/351-false-friends

Example 1: Actual

This one's a classic false friend.

In Spanish, "actual" or in Portuguese "atual" means "current" or "present."

But in English, "actual" means real or true — not "current."

So if you say:
👉 "My actual job is very interesting,"
you probably mean: "My current job."

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.