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"agency" in seven languages

Meaningagency

Spanish

agencia

/aˈxenθja/

fem.learned

French

agence

/aʒɑ̃s/

fem.learned

Italian

agenzia

/adʒenˈtsia/

fem.learned

Portuguese

agência

/aˈʒẽsiɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

agenție

/adʒenˈtsie/

fem.learned

Catalan

agència

/əˈʒɛnsiə/

fem.learned

English

agency

/ˈeɪdʒənsi/

from Latin/French · Medieval Latin AGENTIA

English → ItalianagencyagenziaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

AGENTIA (Medieval Latin)‘activity (from AGENS 'doing', AGERE)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Learned throughout, so only the sounds differ: g before e is x in Spain, ʒ in France, dʒ in Italy; Italian moves the stress to -ìa.

English relatives: agent, agenda, act

Sound laws at work

Initial I- (J-) and G before E, I

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTrabaja en una agencia de viajes.
  • frElle travaille dans une agence de voyages.
  • itLavora in un'agenzia di viaggi.
  • ptEla trabalha numa agência de viagens.
  • roLucrează la o agenție de turism.
  • caTreballa en una agència de viatges.
  • enShe works at a travel agency.

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