Hi there! I’m your English coach Christina, welcome to Speak English with Christina, where you’ll learn American culture and business know-how to become confident in English.
Some English words sound the same as in your own language.
Most of the time, they also have the same meaning… but not always!
So you might think you’re using a word correctly, but then your English-speaking colleagues give you a weird look.
You think they understood what you mean, they think they understood what you mean, but actually you can both be wrong !
It’s alright! It can happen to everybody. And I want to help you get better than that!
That’s why I’m creating a practical, 100% useful ebook, “What was that?”: How to correct 50 common mistakes and avoid confusion in American English”. You’ll find in there conversation scripts, grammar tips, and many common mistakes you won’t have to make anymore!
For instance, let’s take the word “eventually.”
How not to use “Eventually”
I often hear a common mistake, that I find in sentences such as “Eventually, we might have lunch together, what do you think?” Here, the speaker makes a mistake with “eventually.”
Indeed, many students use “eventually” to express the idea of “something that might be a possibility,” or for something that might happen depending on how the situation evolves.
But that’s a mistake! These ideas are better expressed with “Maybe”, “Potentially” or “Possibly,” or even “If you want”
A correct version of the example would be “Maybe we’ll have lunch together, what do you think?”, or “We might have lunch together, possibly. What do you think?”
“Eventually” means something else!
The real meaning of “eventually”
In the English language, “eventually” means “finally”, “sometime in the future”, “sooner or later.”
Examples of “eventually” in sentences:
“I’m looking for a new job. It’s tough but I’m sure I’ll find one eventually.”
“Julie is late to our meeting, but she’ll get here eventually.”
“Eventually, you are going to get rid of all these mistakes in your English. I’m sure of it, don’t worry!”
The difficulty in this word is that it’s very easy to miss that you even made a mistake: your sentence will probably still mean something, but not what you intended to say!
For instance if you say “I’ll eventually call you!”, instead of “I’ll call you maybe! which is what you mean, they’ll understand “Sooner or later, I will call you”, which is a little vague, like “One day, I’ll call you. But the exact day is a mystery…
Recap
So, to recap:
If you want to express the possibility:
→ Use “maybe,” “possibly,” “potentially”, or even “if you want.”
If you want to use “eventually”:
→ Check if you can replace it with “Sooner or later,” “After some time,” or “Sometime in the future.”
And now, tell me: Can you write two new sentences with “Eventually”?
It can be as simple as “I found my glasses eventually.”
Write your answer down in the comments!
There are many more mistakes that I want to help you with. That’s why I’ve created a new ebook, “What was that?”: How to correct 50 common mistakes and avoid confusion in American English.
It includes 50 short, easy-to-learn lessons so you correct your common grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation mistakes.
It also includes common idiomatic expressions and American culture do’s and don’ts, helpful quizzes to get you remember what you learn, and so much more!
Go to this page order yours right now!
Thanks for watching Speak English with Christina, and I’ll see you next time!
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Hi Christina, my native language is Spanish, I always thought that the word “eventually meant “every now and then” just as in my language. But now I think I go it!!.
I think that we’re going to sell the house by this month, eventually.
I eventually came to realize how bad he was.
Hi Christina. I’ll be able to speak this damn language eventually. After all, English is not the hardest language in the world. With your help Christina, I’ll get round to it eventually.
Tanks in advance.
I found my notebook eventually.
with Christina i will learn english eventually
Could I, eventually, come to visit you today?
Hello, from Norway!
My English is not good at all but I practice every day so hopefully one day it will…
Can you say: “Don’t give up, I’m sure you will too, eventually” (a friend of mine is (are?) trying to get a driving licence)
Thanks
J.
Hi Jerry! Wow, Norway! That’s a country I would love to visit. It’s on my list!
And to answer your question, yes, you can say to your friend “Don’t give up, I’m sure you’ll get your license eventually!” You would add “too” if you have your license already.
And good job for practicing every day. That’s one of the best things you can do to improve!
Hi Christina, eventually I’m going to be one of the richest personality in my locality.
And what will you do with all that money, once you are the richest person in your area? 😉
“Eventually” was always very difficult for me to use. I never really understood it. My native language is German so I often mistranslated it to “eventuell”. But this means “maybe”. So when I read phrases like “He was always great at school and eventually he graduated with a bachelor in science” I thought “What? Maybe he graduated in science?”
But now I finally understand what eventually actually means and how to properly use it.
Thanks to you, Christina, I finally understand “eventually”. Eventually, I will hopefully pass the exam for the “Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English”.
Hi, Christina!
Your article was really helpful, thanks.
Examples: I’ll evetually get my scholarship.
Eventually, she could make her dreams come true.
Thanks! And very good examples there!
Eventually, I’ll be able to shear my comments in English each other with natives American
It looks like you already met that goal! Way to go!! 🙂
I have been looking for this English Grammar Writing Advice article since long time. Thanks author.
I’m glad you finally found something useful!
Hi Christina,
If someone used eventually like this what does it mean?
“Even if we eventually come back one day but when we are both more stable in life”
Hey, and good question! In this context, “eventually” means something like “Even if we come back one day, but it’s not sure that we will come back.”
But also, if you don’t mind, let me offer a correction to the structure of your example. It’s a very good example, and the correct structure would be “We may eventually come back one day, but when we are both more stable in life”
Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!
Eventually, I got your point and may be this could improve my conversation skills.
I tried hard to get a job and eventually, I got the one with a great salary package
Perfect!
I am wondering about an English tutor to whom I can practice speaking better English, one day, I will eventually find one.
That is correct!
Eventually you’ll see me again.
I was told this how should I read it as?
Yes, very good!