Mikhail Poda

Topic: Actually, Really

Hebrew	Transcription	Meaning	Notes	Example
לְמַעֲשֶׂה	lema’aseh	actually, in practice	Used to describe what happens in reality vs. in theory	למעשה זה לא כך (lema’aseh ze lo kach) – Actually, it’s not like that
בֶּאֱמֶת	be’emet	really, truly	Used to emphasize sincerity or truth	אתה באמת מתכוון לזה? (ata be’emet mitkaven leze?) – Do you really mean it?
בְּעֶצֶם	be’etzem	actually, in essence	Describes something at its core, sometimes for correction	בעצם, אני לא בטוח (be’etzem, ani lo batuach) – Actually, I’m not sure
מַמָּשׁ	mamash	really, truly, literally	Casual and emphatic, often exaggerative	זה ממש טעים! (ze mamash taim!) – This is really tasty!
דַּוְקָא	davka	actually, on the contrary	Used for emphasis or contradiction	דווקא אהבתי את הסרט (davka ahavti et ha-seret) – Actually, I liked the movie
בַּפּוֹעַל	ba-po’al	in practice, effectively	Describes something that happens in reality vs. theory	בפועל, זה בלתי אפשרי (ba-po’al, ze bilti efshari) – In practice, it’s impossible
אָכֵן	achen	indeed, certainly	Formal, used to confirm something as true	אכן, זה נכון (achen, ze nachon) – Indeed, that’s true
בִּכְלָל	bichlal	at all, even, generally	Used for generalization, negation, or emphasis	הוא בכלל לא הבין (hu bichlal lo hevin) – He didn’t understand at all
בְּדִיּוּק	bediyuk	exactly, precisely	Used when something is precise or matches perfectly	זה בדיוק מה שהתכוונתי (ze bediyuk ma shehitkavanti) – That’s exactly what I meant
בַּמְּצִיאוּת	ba-metziut	in reality, in real life	Used to contrast reality with expectations	במציאות, זה יותר קשה (ba-metziut, ze yoter kashe) – In reality, it’s harder
לַמַּעַן הָאֱמֶת	lama’an haemet	actually, honestly		למען האמת אין לי מושג – Frankly, I have no idea

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Key Differences

• למעשה / בפועל / במציאות (lema’aseh / ba-po’al / ba-metziut) – All mean “in practice” or “in reality”, but:
  • למעשה (lema’aseh) – Often corrects an assumption or expectation.
  • בפועל (ba-po’al) – Emphasizes how something actually works in reality.
  • במציאות (ba-metziut) – Contrasts real life vs. expectation.
• באמת / ממש / אכן (be’emet / mamash / achen) – All mean “really” or “truly”, but:
  • באמת (be’emet) – Neutral, for sincerity.
  • ממש (mamash) – Casual & emphatic, often exaggerative.
  • אכן (achen) – Formal and used for confirmation.
• בדיוק (bediyuk) – Used for exactness or precision.
• בעצם (be’etzem) – Used for “actually” or “technically,” sometimes to correct a statement.
• דווקא (davka) – Means “actually, on the contrary,” used to emphasize an unexpected point.
• בכלל (bichlal) – Used for negation, generalization, or emphasis.