ac·tu·al
adjective OPAL W
/ˈæktʃuəl/
/ˈæktʃuəl/
[only before noun]- used to emphasize something that is real or exists in fact
真实的；实际的 - James looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
詹姆斯看起来比他妻子年轻，但实际上他还大了五岁。 - The actual cost was higher than we expected.
实际成本比我们预计的要高。 - The actual number of unemployed is more than 15 million.
实际失业人数超过 1 500 万。 - What were his actual words?
他的原话是什么？ - A variety of factors could cause our actual results to differ from the expected results.
多种因素可能导致我们的实际结果与预期结果不同。 - The story of the film is based on actual events and people.
影片的故事取材于真实事件和人物。
Which Word? actual / current / presentactual / current / present- Actual does not mean current or present. It means ‘real’ or ‘exact’, and is often used in contrast with something that is not seen as real or exact:
- I need the actual figures, not an estimate.
我需要确切的数字，而不是估计。
- I need the actual figures, not an estimate.
- Present means ‘existing or happening now’:
- How long have you been in your present job?
你干现在这工作多长时间了？
- How long have you been in your present job?
- Current also means ‘existing or happening now’, but can suggest that the situation is temporary:
- The factory cannot continue its current level of production.
这家工厂不能维持目前的生产水平。
- The factory cannot continue its current level of production.
- Actually does not mean ‘at the present time’. Use currently, at present or at the moment instead.
- James looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
- used to emphasize the most important part of something
（强调事情最重要的部分）真正的，…本身 - The rehearsal was fabulous, the actual performance even better.
彩排很精彩，实际演出更加出色。 - The wedding preparations take weeks but the actual ceremony takes less than an hour.
准备婚礼要几周，而婚礼仪式本身还不到一小时。
- The rehearsal was fabulous, the actual performance even better.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French actuel ‘active, practical’, from late Latin actualis, from actus ‘event, thing done’, act- ‘done’, from the verb agere, reinforced by the French noun acte.