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Old May 23, 2010, 03:31 AM
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Al final

What's the difference between "at last", "eventually" and "at the end"?

Thanks.
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  #2  
Old May 23, 2010, 03:43 AM
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These seem pretty synonyms to me, but to put it simply I would go more or less like this,
at last = al fin
eventually = finalmente; con el tiempo.
at the end = al final

at last, after a lengthy pause or delay: He was lost in thought for several minutes, but at last he spoke. [...pero al fin habló.]
eventually, finally; ultimately; at some later time: Eventually we will own the house free and clear. [Finalmente/Con el tiempo seremos propietarios de la casa sin ningún gravamen.]
at the end, at the end of April [al final de abril/a finales de abril]
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Old May 23, 2010, 03:56 AM
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I can see clearly "at the end", but I'm not sure about the others. This is a sentence from my book:

Casi nadie le creyó y al final tuvo que decir la verdad.
Hardly anybody believed him and eventually he had to tell the truth.

I said: "at last".
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
I can see clearly "at the end", but I'm not sure about the others. This is a sentence from my book:

Casi nadie le creyó y al final tuvo que decir la verdad.
Hardly anybody believed him and eventually he had to tell the truth.

I said: "at last".
One possibility is:
Hardly anybody believed him and in the end he had to tell the truth.

Edit: at last is not correct here, it is used when waiting for something: I have been saving my money for ten years, and at last I can buy a car

Last edited by Perikles; May 23, 2010 at 04:05 AM.
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:05 AM
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Good morning.

And is "at last" correct?
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
Good morning.

And is "at last" correct?
No - see my edit

Edit: Good Morning!
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:10 AM
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OK, thank you.

By the way, why do you write Morning with capital letters?
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:10 AM
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"At last" would be more in the sense of "al fin/por fin", while "eventually" in the sense of "finally" seems to go better.
I personally would go with,
Hardly anybody believed him and he finally had to tell the truth.
or
Hardly anybody believed him and in the end he had to tell the truth.

At last, I understood. (Por fin, lo he entendido/lo entendí)
Eventually I got it. (Al final/finalmente lo capté. /Lo he captado al final/finalmente.)
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JPablo View Post
"At last" would be more in the sense of "al fin/por fin", while "eventually" in the sense of "finally" seems to go better.
I personally would go with,
Hardly anybody believed him and he finally had to tell the truth.
or
Hardly anybody believed him and in the end he had to tell the truth.

At last, I understood. (Por fin, lo he entendido/lo entendí)
Eventually I got it. (Al final/finalmente lo capté. /Lo he captado al final/finalmente.)
In your two last sentences, it seems that 'eventually' can be used instead of 'at last'.

So, 'finally' would be correct instead, wouldn't it?
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Old May 23, 2010, 04:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
By the way, why do you write Morning with capital letters?
Your curiosity knows no limits. It is probably old-fashioned, but I always give capital letters to Set Phrases, such as Good Morning, Good Night, Happy Birthday, etc.
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