ENGLISH
REFERENCE

at present

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. at the current time. You use this to talk about what is happening right now, especially when the situation might change later.

prep. phr.. at the current moment; currently. Functions as a temporal adverbial, often used in formal or professional contexts to describe a status quo that is potentially temporary.


SIMPLE

At present, the manager is out of the office.

CONTEXTUAL

We are not hiring any new staff at present, but we will keep your resume on file.

COMPLEX

At present, the scientific community remains divided on the long-term implications of the study, though further research is already underway.

Usage

usually appears at the beginning or end of a sentence and is more formal than 'now'.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'actually' (which means 'in fact'); many learners confuse the two because of false friends in other languages like 'actuellement' or 'actualmente'.

Pitfall

In the present, I am working.At present, I am working.the fixed phrase uses the preposition 'at' rather than 'in the'.

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