"always" in seven languages
Meaningalways
Spanish
siempre
/ˈsjempɾe/
inherited
French
toujours
/tuʒuʁ/
other source · French tous jours 'all days' (TŌTŌS DIURNŌS)
Also means 'still': il est toujours là.
Italian
sempre
/ˈsɛmpre/
inherited
Portuguese
sempre
/ˈsẽpɾi/
inherited
Romanian
mereu
/meˈrew/
other source · of uncertain origin
Întotdeauna 'at all times' is the other everyday word.
Catalan
sempre
/ˈsɛmpɾə/
inherited
English
always
/ˈɔlweɪz/
native English · Old English ealne weg 'all the way'
English → ItalianalwayssempreNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: sempiternal, Semper Fidelis.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SEMPER‘always’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish breaks the stressed e into ie (siempre). French replaced SEMPER with 'every day', and uses the same word for 'still'.
English relatives: sempiternal, Semper Fidelis
Learn it
In a sentence
- esSiempre llega tarde.
- frElle est toujours en retard.
- itÈ sempre in ritardo.
- ptEla sempre chega atrasada.
- roEa întârzie mereu.
- caSempre arriba tard.
- enShe is always late.