# eigentlich = actually?



## HighlyAcidic

Hi all,

Of all the German Redepartikel, I think I've had trouble with "eigentlich" the most.

In many cases, it seems that the closest English translation would be "actually."

For example:

"Are you hot?"
"Actually I'm quite cold."

"Ist dir heiss?"
"Mir ist eigentlich ziemlich kalt."​As far as I understand, this translation is correct. However please tell me if I am mistaken.

Where I ran into a problem is a situation like the following. Imagine that I pick up the phone and someone asks for my friend Sarah. I reply:

"Actually she's not here right now."

"Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da."
​A native German speaker once told me that the German phrase implies that I am being untruthful, and that Sarah is actually there but I'm not going to give her the phone.

I don't understand why "eigentlich" conveys this, what the best re-translation into English would be, or how best to convey the original English phrase in German.

Thank you for your help!


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## Hutschi

"Eigentlich" means something like "in fact, really"  but in comparing with the contrary. It can modify a sentence so that it gets the contrary meaning.

I'm not sure about "actually". It has a similar meaning, but I do not know exactly the English connotations.

"Ist dir heiss?"
"Mir ist eigentlich ziemlich kalt." - This means (including connotation): "You can suppose this - that it's warm -  but it is not quite true, actually/in reality I'm quite cold."

"Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da." This is a contradiction. This means: "She should have been on another place but she is here at the moment." or "She is here in reality but she does not want to be disturbed - but I do not want to tell you this - may be I can ask her and you can speak to her.)" or "actually she is here even if she is not supposed to be here." 
It depends on context. It is no wonder that they thought you did not want to tell. 

"Eigentlich" makes the sentence fuzzy. It puts a bit of contrary to it, even if there is no contrary.

"Eigentlich sollte sie hier sein." - "Actually, she should have been here. But she is not!"

"Eigentlich" puts contrast to a sentence. 

In many cases there is a construction: "Eigentlich ..., aber ... ." 
"Eigentlich wollte ich dich besuchen, aber es kam keine Straßenbahn."

"Sie ist eigentlich schon fort." - "She has the intention to have left the room already/she should have left, but actually she is here yet." This is just the contrary of "Sie ist schon fort." It means "Sie ist gerade noch hier." (At the moment she is here yet, but she is leaving the room very soon."




> "Actually she's not here right now."
> 
> "Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da."
> ​A native German speaker once told me that the German phrase implies that I am being untruthful, and that Sarah is actually there but I'm not going to give her the phone.


I can confirm this. It is what he said.

"Actually she is here, but  nobody should know this, she  is supposed not to be here." (For example, because she is preparing for going to a meeting or home or anywhere else.)

If the sentence is:
"_Sie ist eigentlich schon nicht mehr hier, aber ich kann sie fragen, ob sie noch mit Ihnen sprechen möchte._" it means: "_Actually, she is preparing to go, but I can ask her if she would speak to you_."


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## HighlyAcidic

Hutschi, thank you for your long and informative reply! However, I find I'm still confused...

You claim that:


> 1) "Mir ist eigentlich ziemlich kalt." = "You can suppose this - that it's warm - but it is not quite true, actually/in reality I'm quite cold."


and also:


> 2) "Sie ist eigentlich schon fort." = "Sie ist gerade noch hier."


​To me, this appears to be a contradiction 

In Example 2, the word eigentlich makes it mean nearly the *opposite* of what it would otherwise be. In Example 1, it's merely a *modification*. It seems like "Mir ist eigentlich ziemlich kalt" should mean "Mir ist ziemlich warm bzw. nicht kalt"  if the word eigentlich was acting the same way as it does in Example 2.

I hope the place where I'm getting confused makes sense.

Also, what would be the meaning of "eigentlich schon" in the following exchange:
"Hast du den Professor angerufen?"
"Eigentlich schon."​In this case it does not seem to be a contradiction either - more like a confirmation. Unless I am misremembering situations in which I've heard it...


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## Hutschi

If you modify "she is not here" the only possible modification is "she is here".

"Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier" says usually: "Sie ist zwar gerade noch hier, aber für niemanden mehr zu sprechen." (For example, she is already at the way to the door.)  But this is not absolute. In urgent cases it is possible that she returns. 

"Hast du den Professor angerufen?"
"Eigentlich schon."

It is a confirmation. Depending on context, it can express a kind or irony.
It can include non-spoken: Why do you ask me this?


"Eigentlich" does not have only one meaning but the meaning depends on context.


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## qubodup

To say "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier." and mean "Sie ist da, aber nicht verfügbar." is something that I don't think would ever happen but I think it has to do with the example.

If I asked for an "ausverkauftes" product in a shop and would make big eyes, the saler could say "Alsooo eeigentlich verkaufen wir das Produkt nicht mehr. Aber ich schau mal im Lager nach."

I suppose "eigentlich" can suggest that the opposite of the statement is true, but for me, it would require an additional sentance which explains further.

I usually would assume that he person who says "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier." to mean that he is unsure, whether or not she has left (perhaps she would have had left usually at that time).

I think often it's being used as a 'softener'. For example if your lover made you a chocolate cake, you could say "Eigentlich mag ich Schokolade nicht." which is less strict than "Ich mag keine Schokolade."


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## Hutschi

Wellcome to the forum, qubodub.

What you wrote is true and a good argument. It requires context, if "eigentlich" turns a meaning of a sentence to the contrary, and it is inpolite not to declare what is the matter in this case. 

It is also possible that it is unsure, whether she has left in "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier." 

The form "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier" depends also on what is "sie ist hier".
"Sie ist hier" can mean: "She is member of our team".  "Sie ist nicht mehr hier" can (in coll. language) mean, "She is not anymore member of this office/of our team".

In this case it can be possible: "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier, aber heute ist sie gerade da."

It can also be related to vacation.

"Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier, denn sie hat Urlaub. Aber heute ist sie gerade da. Da haben Sie Glück gehabt."

In all these cases it is required to give context.

I think to say "Sie ist eigentlich nicht mehr hier." and mean "Sie ist da, aber nicht verfügbar." is seldom because it it impolite. It is only used by accident.


> qubodup wrote: _I think often it's being used as a 'softener'. For example if your lover made you a chocolate cake, you could say "Eigentlich mag ich Schokolade nicht." which is less strict than "Ich mag keine Schokolade._


A good example.

It means often: 
Eigentlich mag ich Schokolade nicht, aber ich nehme Dir ein Stück ab. - where the last part is omitted and replaced by taking the chocolate._

Best regards
Hutschi
_


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## ABBA Stanza

Hi HighlyAcidic,

As already shown in many of the above examples, there is often a _"but..."_ element in many of the expressions involving _eigentlich_. In English, we often use the term _*"strictly speaking"*_ here:

_*Eigentlich* ist er momentan nicht ansprechbar =_
_*Strictly speaking*, he's not available (to be spoken to) at the moment [, *but* because your case appears to be urgent, we can possibly give it a try]_

_*Eigentlich* bist du zu spät =_
_*Strictly speaking*, you're too late [, *but* maybe you still have a chance]_

_*Eigentlich* esse ich keine Schokolade =_
_*Strictly speaking*, I don't eat chocolate [, *but* in this case, maybe I'll indulge myself]_

Now can you see the meaning of your original sentence?:

_Sie ist *eigentlich* im Moment nicht da =_
_She is *strictly speaking* not there at the moment _

Even the English phrase here would communicate the same ambiguous message as your original German one, namely that she's "theoretically" not (supposed to be) there, but in practice (still) is.

Hope that helps.

Abba

P.S. Welcome to the forum from me too, qubodup!


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## HighlyAcidic

Thank you everyone! I read all your replies carefully and I think I've got a better handle on it now.

In my experience, beginning German speakers (at least those who natively speak English) don't quite know what to do with *eigentlich*, so they assign to it the closest English word they can think of, which is *actually*. When I studied in Germany, this is what we all thought it meant.

However as we have seen this is an accurate translation only some of the time and can lead to problems or misunderstandings.

Thank God for the WordReference forums!


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## SweetWaterGringo

I know this is an older thread, but I just came across it.  A couple other translations are, "for all intents and purposes" and "in a sense." 

Sie is momentan eigentlich nicht da.  =  "_*In a sense *_she is not here at the moment."  

Or, "*For all intents and purposes* she is not here at the moment."

I've had trouble with this one myself.  One of my professors used to say that you are not fluent in German until you can use the Redpartikel correctly.


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## Cluelesa

I'd like to complicate the matter further_  eigentlich _can actually mean something a bit softer than '_what the hell_' in:
_
Was machst du da eigentlich? - What do think you are doing there? _


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## Derselbe

SweetWaterGringo said:


> I know this is an older thread, but I just came across it. A couple other translations are, "for all intents and purposes" and "in a sense."
> 
> Sie is momentan eigentlich nicht da. = "_*In a sense *_she is not here at the moment."
> 
> Or, "*For all intents and purposes* she is not here at the moment."


That doesn't seem right, in my opinion. _Strictly speaking_ is the best translation so far.


> I've had trouble with this one myself. One of my professors used to say that you are not fluent in German until you can use the Redpartikel correctly.


 
What is a Redpartikel?


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## berndf

ABBA Stanza said:


> As already shown in many of the above examples, there is often a _"but..."_ element in many of the expressions involving _eigentlich_. In English, we often use the term *"strictly speaking"*...


Exactly! This was also my first idea when I read the original question. The adverb _eigentlich_ is derived from the adjective _eigen_ (_own_) referring to _inherent_ or _natural_ properties of an object. Much like _in principle_ hints that principles can be violated and _strictly speaking_ hints that one can also speak _loosely_, _eigentlich_ hints that one might deviate from the natural way of looking at or doing things.


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## Frank78

Hutschi said:


> "Eigentlich" makes the sentence fuzzy. It puts a bit of contrary to it, even if there is no contrary.



Exactly. That´s why "strictly speaking/genau genommen" is rather the opposite of "eigentlich"-


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## Derselbe

Frank78 said:


> Exactly. That´s why "strictly speaking/genau genommen" is rather the opposite of "eigentlich"-


 
Not a contradiction at all. _Strictly speaking_ indicates an antithesis just as _eigentlich_ does. It virtually calls for _a_ _but_ as has been shown in Abba Stanza's post #7.

Eigentlich ..., aber ...
Stricly speaking ... but ...


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## Hutschi

Is "strictly speaking" nicht "genau genommen"?
Dann ist es etwa das Gegenteil von "eigentlich".

Genau genommen ist es so, aber eigentlich nicht.
Eigentlich ist es so, aber genau genommen nicht.

Das eine macht eine ungenaue Aussage schärfer, das andere eine genaue Aussage unschärfer.


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## berndf

Hutschi said:


> Genau genommen ist es so, aber eigentlich nicht.
> Eigentlich ist es so, aber genau genommen nicht.


Da kann ich dir nicht folgen. Nach meinem Sprachempfinden sind _genau genommen _und _eigentlich_ nahe Synonyme und ich sehe die oben stehenen Sätze selbstwidersprüchlich. Ich würde solche Sätz formulieren:
_Genau genommen ist es so, aber in diesem besondern Fall könnte eine Ausnahme machen._
_Eigentlich ist es so, aber in diesem besondern Fall könnte eine Ausnahme machen._
oder auch:
_Grundsätzlich ist es so, aber in diesem besondern Fall könnte eine Ausnahme machen._
_Im Grunde ist es so, aber in diesem besondern Fall könnte eine Ausnahme machen.
Prinzipiell ist es so, aber in diesem besondern Fall könnte eine Ausnahme machen.
_


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## Frank78

Ich geh immer noch mit Hutschi.

Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit= Er hat hundertprozentig keine Zeit
Eigentlich hat der Chef keine Zeit, da Sie aber ein wichtiger Kunde sind, werd ich ihn mal fragen. (Eigentlich=Wischiwaschi-50%- Aussage)


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## ABBA Stanza

Frank78 said:


> Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit= Er hat hundertprozentig keine Zeit


Is that necessarily so, or does it depend on context?

For example, the sentence could be interpreted as follows:

_Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit ->_
_Wenn man genau nach Vorschrift gehen würde, hätte der Chef jetzt keine Zeit_

Such a sentence would then often be seen as concessionary, as the added condition alludes to the fact that the speaker may be prepared to make an exception. This is not always the case of course. It could equally well be some beaurocratic German who just wants to throw the rule book at you, in which case you've lost . However, in Bernd's examples above where he added an "aber" clause, it's clearly the concessionary tone that is implied.

As always, it's the context that's so important. On that note, I wasn't saying above that "strictly speaking" is always the correct translation for "eigentlich", just that it's a reasonable translation in the type of context being discussed on this thread.

All the best,
Abba


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## Derselbe

Frank78 said:


> Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit= Er hat hundertprozentig keine Zeit



Wenn er hundertprozentig keine Zeit hat, besteht doch kein Grund für die Einschränkung "genau genommen". Denn nichts anderes ist "genau genommen". Es ist eigentlich ein Ersatz für einen Konditionalsatz (Wenn wir es genau nehmen, ...). Es schränkt die Aussage ein: sie ist nur richtig, wenn man es genau nimmt, sobald man es aber ungenau nimmt, stimmt es nichtmehr.
Ergo:

_Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit => Wenn wir es nicht so genau nehmen, hat er Zeit._

Wenn er hunderprozentig keine Zeit hat, kann man doch einfach sagen:

_Der Chef hat jetzt keine Zeit._


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## berndf

ABBA Stanza said:


> _Genau genommen hat der Chef jetzt keine Zeit ->_
> _Wenn man genau nach Vorschrift gehen würde, hätte der Chef jetzt keine Zeit_


That is exactly what it means. And as we are not talking about interpretation of rules or definitions, one would hardly be tempted to use _genau genommen_ here.

My contrast, in
_Eigentlich hat der Chef keine Zeit, da Sie aber ein wichtiger Kunde sind, werd ich ihn mal fragen_
_eigentlich_ has a very precise meaning and is not "Wischi-Waschi": It means he *doesn't have* time but he *can take* the time to answer the question of an important customer, e.g. by rescheduling apointments or coming late to a meeting.

@Abba: How would you express this in English. I am not aware of an expression which really fits this particular sense of _eigentlich_, a rather important one I should say.


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## SweetWaterGringo

Derselbe said:


> That doesn't seem right, in my opinion. _Strictly speaking_ is the best translation so far.
> 
> "For all intents and purposes" translates what the original poster was told about the sentence.  It's basically the same thing, I was just giving an alternative that might have helped him.
> 
> 
> What is a Redpartikel?


 

"For all intents and purposes" translates what the original poster was told about the sentence. It's basically the same thing, I was just giving an alternative that might have helped him. Perhaps you think your tranlation is the best because it is _yours._


Clearly, I mistyped "Redepartikel."* <Moderator note: Text deleted; reason sent by PM>*


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## Derselbe

SweetWaterGringo said:


> "For all intents and purposes" translates what the original poster was told about the sentence. It's basically the same thing, I was just giving an alternative that might have helped him. Perhaps you think your tranlation is the best because it is _yours._



No reason to get upset. Every idea is helpful. If you say it is a good translation, it probably is.


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## bahama

I was playing an on-line game and asked another player, "Woher kommen Sie?" He replied, "Aus Deutschland, aber warum fragst du eigentlich?"
What was the point of adding "eigentlich"? Wouldn't the sentence have been fine without it?


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## Hutschi

Hi, "eigentlich" is a kind of flavoring particle. The sentence works without it, but is much more formal.
It strengthens the meaning "warum" psychologically. The sentense becomes less formal, and "eigentlich" adds a connotation that you are really interested when asking "Warum fragst du eigentlich?"
Additionally to "actually" you could say "essentually" but this seems not to be idiomatical in English.
compare also:
"What is the reason" vs. "What is the true reason?"

---
I think, "actually" works best in this context.


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## Alan Evangelista

HighlyAcidic said:


> "Actually she's not here right now."
> 
> Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da.



How would I express the meaning of "actually" intended by the OP (stress that the fact is real/true), instead of expressing a contradiction  ? "In Wirklichkeit"?


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## Hutschi

I would say in coll. language:

_Sie ist ja im Moment nicht da.

oder

Sie ist wirklich im Moment nicht da._ (But it seems to be stronger than with "actually". And it sounds "defending".)

You can omit "actually":

_Sie ist im Moment/zur Zeit nicht da. -_ (More formal)

There are some other variants. I do not know an exact translation for all possible situations.


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## Schlabberlatz

Hutschi said:


> You can omit "actually":
> 
> _Sie ist im Moment/zur Zeit nicht da._


I agree.


Hutschi said:


> There are some other variants.


Maybe:
She’s not here right now – Sie ist gerade nicht da.
Actually, she’s not here right now – Sie ist gerade gar nicht da.


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## eno2

I have no problem with actually and eigentlich. To me, 'actually' always enhances, stresses, or confirms reality. (=really, = in point of fact).
Eigentlich doesn't always do that.  Eigentlich can be a suggestive restriction of reality or put reality  'between brackets'
I dare to put in my 2 cents  because  Dutch has also Eigentlich (not because of my knowledge of German).
Wiktionary gives  "im Prinzip" as the first meaning for eigentlich, which in fact opens a  restriction on the degree of reality and confirms my understanding.


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## Alan Evangelista

Hutschi said:


> You can omit "actually":
> 
> _Sie ist im Moment/zur Zeit nicht da. -_ (More formal)



I am aware that omitting is always a valid option for translating these "particle-like" words, although it does not exactly correspond to the original meaning. I don't see it as a big problem, as the effect of "actually" in the sentence as intended by OP is very subtle (IMHO).



Hutschi said:


> I would say in coll. language:
> 
> _Sie ist ja im Moment nicht da.
> 
> oder
> 
> Sie ist wirklich im Moment nicht da._ (But it seems to be stronger than with "actually". And it sounds "defending".)



Thanks for the options. I must study better the particle "ja". "In Wirklichkeit" is not an option then?


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## Alan Evangelista

eno2 said:


> To me, 'actually' always enhances, stresses, or confirms reality. (=really, = in point of fact).



I see two distinct meanings of "actually" and Cambridge dictionary also does:



> used to say that something is true, esp. when the true situation may not be known
> (...)
> 
> used when you want to emphasize that something is surprising or unusual



"eigentlich" only has the second meaning, right? That's the source of the OP's confusion.

edit: 
"eigentlich" only has the second meaning 
= In regard to these 2 meanings, "eigentlich" can only mean the second


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## eno2

Alan Evangelista said:


> I see two distinct meanings of "actually" and Cambridge dictionary also does:


So Cambridge confirms Merriam-Webster which was the one I gave (= really=in point of fact)
I'm using this two dictionaries routinely.





> "eigentlich" *only* has the second meaning, right? That's the source of the OP's confusion.


 It surely  has that meaning and perhaps most frequently so.
<Das ging eigentlich sehr seltsam.>
but
I wouldn't say the  'only ' meaning .  It can mean  'originally, essentially, when you come to think of it..'
And more.  It's certainly prone to nuance.



> ei·gent·lich1
> /eígentlich/
> _Partikel_
> 
> 1.
> verstärkt oder* relativiert *besonders in Fragesätzen eine gewisse Anteilnahme, eine vorwurfsvolle Äußerung eigtl.
> "wie heißt du eigentlich(überhaupt)?"
> 2.
> *nebenbei bemerkt, übrigens, was ich noch sagen wollte eigtl.*
> "kennen Sie eigentlich diese Malerin?"


https://www.google.com/search?newwi...2i30i19j0i22i30j33i22i29i30j33i21.PLmwj_kgTgg
verstärkt oder *relativiert 
 *


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## JClaudeK

"eigentlich" kann auch "to tell the truth/ à vrai dire" bedeuten.

Eg.
- Kommst du mit mir ins Kino?
- Ich habe eigentlich keine Lust.

Oder "precisely/ au juste"

Eg.
- Was willst du eigentlich von mir?


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## eno2

JClaudeK said:


> "eigentlich" kann auch "to tell the truth/ à vrai dire" bedeuten.


That's what I thought also:  You say 'Eigentlich" (meaning "To be honest") and then tell the truth.

I thought I had given the link to Wiktionary, when  talking of 'Im Prinzip' ,in #27, but it was a wrong link.


> [1] im Prinzip
> [2] in Wahrheit[
> 3] eine (nicht besonders dringende) Bitte um Antwort signalisierend
> 4] im engeren Sinne
> Synonyme:
> [1] im Grunde; im Grunde genommen
> [2] in Wirklichkeit
> [3] übrigens


https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/eigentlich
It also mentions  *"In Wahrheit."*


> Oder "precisely/ au juste"
> Eg.
> - Was willst du eigentlich von mir?


Yes.
'Eigentlich' is far from 'eindeutig'.


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## Hutschi

Alan Evangelista said:


> ...
> Thanks for the options. I must study better the particle "ja". "In Wirklichkeit" is not an option then?


Im gegebenen Kontext (Satzzusammenhang) wäre es möglich, aber klanglich nicht sehr idiomatisch.

_Sie ist in Wirklichkeit im Moment nicht da.

Das ist außerdem stärker als "wirklich"._
"Wirklich" zeigt eher die Meinung an, "in Wirklichkeit" würde man verwenden können, wenn vorher gelogen wurde.

"Sie ist wirklich nicht da." - Das bekräftigt, dass sie nicht da ist. (Ich versichere dir, dass sie _*nicht*_ da ist.) (... "nicht" ist hier betont.)

"Sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da." Ich habe Anton erzählt, sie wäre da. Aber sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da.


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## JClaudeK

Hutschi said:


> "Sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da." Ich habe Anton erzählt, sie wäre da. Aber sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da.


Hier würde ich den Satz umstellen: 
(Ich dachte, sie sei da,) aber in Wirklichkeit ist sie nicht da.


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## Hutschi

Ja, bei der Umstellung wird "in Wirklichkeit" durch die Wortstellung besonders hervorgehoben. Das verstärkt den Widerspruch zur falschen Aussage.


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## Alan Evangelista

eno2 said:


> I wouldn't say the 'only ' meaning .



Sorry, I was ambiguous before. I meant that, between the 2 usages of "actually", "eigentlich" can only mean the 2nd (used when you want to emphasize that something is surprising or unusual), not the 1st (used to say that something is true, esp. when the true situation may not be known). If I am wrong, please tell me.

And thank you all for the additional meanings of "eigentlich". It is indeed a tricky word for German learners.



Hutschi said:


> Im gegebenen Kontext (Satzzusammenhang) wäre es möglich, aber klanglich nicht sehr idiomatisch.
> 
> _Sie ist in Wirklichkeit im Moment nicht da.
> 
> Das ist außerdem stärker als "wirklich"._
> "Wirklich" zeigt eher die Meinung an, "in Wirklichkeit" würde man verwenden können, wenn vorher gelogen wurde.
> 
> "Sie ist wirklich nicht da." - Das bekräftigt, dass sie nicht da ist. (Ich versichere dir, dass sie _*nicht*_ da ist.) (... "nicht" ist hier betont.)
> 
> "Sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da." Ich habe Anton erzählt, sie wäre da. Aber sie ist in Wirklichkeit nicht da.



In a summary:
wirklich - intensifies the sentence
in Wirklichkeit - contrasts the sentence with something previously said/thought
(I am avoiding to make direct 1-1 translations between Germany and English words in order to avoid misinterpretations)

Is that right?


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## eno2

HighlyAcidic said:


> Where I ran into a problem is a situation like the following. Imagine that I pick up the phone and someone asks for my friend Sarah. I reply:
> 
> "Actually she's not here right now."​​"Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da."​


​​I object to the use of "Sie ist eigentlich im Moment nicht da." as a translation of "Actually she's not here right now.".​Actually is simply a confirmation. You can't translate that with 'eigentlich'.​​'Sie ist eigentlich nicht da' suggest the opposite,  namely  that  in reality,  she's there.   '​"Actually she's not here right now." doesn't  suggest that.
​​​​


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## Hutschi

Alan Evangelista said:


> ...
> 
> 
> In a summary:
> wirklich - intensifies the sentence
> in Wirklichkeit - contrasts the sentence with something previously said/thought
> (I am avoiding to make direct 1-1 translations between Germany and English words in order to avoid misinterpretations)
> 
> Is that right?



Mostly this is right. there may be (seldom) context with other meaning, but you would find this when it occurs.

in Wirklichkeit - contrasts the sentence with something previously said/thought/supposed -  (I added "supposed" in this case. It is similar to "thought" but actually not exactly the same)

Example:
Lange vermutete man/nahm man an/dachte man, dass Atome unteilbar wären. In Wirklichkeit sind sie teilbar.  (Here it is exchangeable)
Ich dachte, heute wäre Sonntag. In Wirklichkeit ist Montag. (Here "vermutete" is not the same.)
"Vermuten" includes explicitely that it is not clear.


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