How to translate “actually” depends on usage - Cchatty

How to translate “actually” depends on usage

Qíshí 其实, “actually,” and quèshí 确实, “indeed,” are used in positive statements:

That person is actually Japanese.
Nàge rén qíshí shì Rìběn rén.
那个人其实是日本人。

That person is indeed Japanese!
Nàge rén quèshí shì Rìběn rén.
那个人确实是日本人。

Bìng bù 并不 . . . , meaning “actually NOT” (contrary to expectations or a previous argument), is therefore always used in the negative:

That person is actually NOT Japanese, he’s Chinese.
Nàge rén bìng búshì Rìběn rén, tā shì Zhōngguó rén.
那个人并不是日本人，他是中国人。

For the past tense, bìng bù . . . becomes bìng méi(yǒu) . . . for “actually didn’t”:

He stayed in Beijing for seven days, but he actually didn’t even eat one meal of Chinese food!
Tā zài Běijīng zhùle qītiān, dànshi tā bìng méi(yǒu) chī yídùn Zhōngguó fàn!
他在北京住了七天，但是他并没 (有) 吃一顿中国饭。