English Reference
adverb

fortunately

adv.
US /ˈfɔɹtʃənətɫi/ UK /fˈɔːtʃənətli/ for·tu·nate·ly

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    used to say that something good happened or that a situation is lucky.

    used as a sentence modifier to express that the situation described is fortunate or lucky.

    Simple

    I forgot my umbrella, but fortunately, it didn't rain while I was walking.

    In context

    Fortunately, the emergency services arrived within minutes of the call, preventing the fire from spreading to the adjacent buildings.

    Pitfall
    Fortunately, we didn't lost the keys. Fortunately, we didn't lose the keys.

    Remember that 'didn't' is followed by the base form of the verb, even when the sentence starts with 'fortunately'.

    unfortunatelyunluckily
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    in a way that shows good luck or success.

    in a fortunate or auspicious manner; modifying a specific action rather than the whole sentence.

    Simple

    The business was fortunately placed to benefit from the new laws.

    In context

    The company was fortunately positioned within the market, allowing it to expand rapidly during the economic recovery.

    unluckily

From fortunate + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated