Lucía had lived in Manchester for six months, and she had never been on a date in English. Her flatmate, Priya, had been trying to change that for weeks.
"His name is Daniel," Priya said. "He works with my brother. He's funny and kind, and he has been learning Spanish for a year. You'll like him."
So on Friday evening, Lucía was standing outside a small Italian restaurant, checking her phone and practising sentences in her head.
A tall man with a friendly smile walked up to her. "Lucía? I'm Daniel."
"Hello! Nice to know you," she said, and shook his hand.
Daniel smiled. "Nice to meet you too."
Inside, the waiter brought the menus. Daniel ordered a pizza and Lucía ordered pasta. While they were waiting for the food, they talked about work.
"So what do you do?" asked Daniel.
"Actually, I work in a bank," said Lucía. "But I want to be a teacher."
Daniel looked confused. "Actually? Did you think I knew something different?"
"No, no. I mean now. At the moment."
"Ah, currently," said Daniel. "In English, actually means in fact. It's a false friend."
Lucía laughed. "Thank you. I have twenty-eight years and I still make these mistakes."
"You're twenty-eight," Daniel said gently. "In English, you are your age. You don't have it."
"Okay, teacher," she said, and they both laughed.