textualmente

Textualmente is a Spanish adverb meaning “in the text as it appears” or “word for word.” It is used to indicate that a passage is quoted or reproduced exactly from a source, without paraphrase, and is often placed before or after a quotation to emphasize verbatim reproduction.

Etymology: The term comes from the noun texto (“text”) plus the adverbial suffix -mente. The root texto derives from Latin textus, tying the word to the idea of a written or compiled body of words.

Usage: Textualmente is common in academic, journalistic, legal, and formal writing when quoting sources or citing passages. Example: El informe dice textualmente: “La economía creció un 3% en el último trimestre.” Another common construction is “Afirma textualmente que…” to indicate exact wording attributed to someone.

Distinctions: Textualmente emphasizes exact wording rather than meaning alone. By contrast, literalidad or literalmente can stress the literal meaning or factual reality. In practice, the terms can overlap, but textualmente primarily signals verbatim reproduction, whereas literal and literalmente focus more on fidelity to meaning or reality. In English, the closest equivalents are “verbatim” or “word for word.”

Notes: The expression is widely understood in Spanish-speaking contexts and is appropriate whenever precise quoting is important, such as citations, quotes in analysis, or legal documents. See also Verbatim, Cita textual, Quotation.