GMC
Finally/ At last/ por fin I read an article here on italki where it says that "por fin" means "finally". I would have never traslate "por fin" into "finally" but into "at last". So I just wonder if "finally" and "at last" mean the same in English or they are used in the same way. In Spanish "finalmente" y "por fin" doesn't always mean the same. I would be grateful if anybody could give me an asnwer.
May 24, 2015 2:26 PM
Answers · 9
1
Both can suggest the idea of a long wait or delay e.g. When at last they found him he was half dead. Or After 3 attempts Alice finally passed her driving exam. (eventually is used in same way) Only finally can be used to introduce the last idea in a series e.g. When you leave take a key, a bag, a coat and finally a scarf. Both can be used as an exclamation. At last! Where have you been? Finally! What happened? 'In the end' is another expression you can use to show something happens after a lot of uncertainty. Did they get married in the end?
May 24, 2015
1
In some contexts they mean the same thing. For example if you have been waiting for a long time in a restaurant for your friends to come, when they arrive you could say: Finally! You're here. At last! You're here. Or you could write something like 'Finally his friends had appeared.' You could also write 'At last his friends had appeared.' Here you use them in the same way. But if you mean 'finally' to mean the last thing then its usage is not interchangeable with 'at last.' For example 'Finally, I would like to say that I am very pleased that you have all come here today...' You can't use 'at last' instead of finally in this context. Un saludo.
May 24, 2015
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!