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"behind" in seven languages

Meaningbehind

Spanish

detrás de

/deˈtɾas de/

other source · Latin DĒ + TRĀNS 'across, beyond'

Also tras, more formal.

French

derrière

/dɛʁjɛʁ/

inherited

From DĒ RETRŌ.

Italian

dietro

/ˈdjɛtro/

inherited

From DĒ RETRŌ; often dietro a or dietro di.

Portuguese

atrás de

/aˈtɾas dʒi/

other source · Latin AD + TRĀNS 'across, beyond'

Romanian

în spatele

/ɨn ˈspatele/

other source · Romanian spate 'back', from Latin SPATULA 'shoulder blade'

Followed by the genitive: în spatele casei.

Catalan

darrere

/dəˈreɾə/

inherited

From DĒ RETRŌ, like French derrière.

English

behind

/bɪˈhaɪnd/

native English · Old English behindan

English → ItalianbehinddietroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: retro, retrograde, rear (via French arrière).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

RETRŌ‘backwards, behind’

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

The story

French and Italian both say 'from behind', DĒ RETRŌ, with the open e breaking into ie. Spanish used 'from across' instead (tras, as in trans-).

English relatives: retro, retrograde, rear (via French arrière)

Sound laws at work

Stressed short E breaks into ie

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In a sentence

  • esEl jardín está detrás de la casa.
  • frLe jardin est derrière la maison.
  • itIl giardino è dietro la casa.
  • ptO jardim fica atrás da casa.
  • roGrădina este în spatele casei.
  • caEl jardí és darrere de la casa.
  • enThe garden is behind the house.

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