Skip to content

"company" in seven languages

Meaningcompany

Spanish

compañía

/kompaˈɲia/

fem.inherited

In business, empresa is the everyday word for a firm.

French

compagnie

/kɔ̃paɲi/

fem.inherited

For a firm, entreprise or société is more usual.

Italian

compagnia

/kompaɲˈɲia/

fem.inherited

For a firm, Italians usually say azienda or ditta.

Portuguese

empresa

/ẽˈpɾezɐ/

fem.other source · Italian impresa 'undertaking' (from Latin PREHENDERE 'to take')

Romanian

firmă

/ˈfirmə/

fem.other source · German Firma / Italian firma (ultimately Latin FIRMĀRE 'to confirm, sign')

Catalan

empresa

/əmˈpɾɛzə/

fem.other source · Italian impresa 'undertaking' (from Latin PREHENDERE 'to take')

English

company

/ˈkʌmpəni/

from Latin/French · Old French compaignie

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

The Latin ancestor

*COMPĀNIA‘fellowship (CUM 'with' + PĀNIS 'bread')’

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

The story

Your companions are the people you share bread with — a Late Latin formation, probably modelled on a Germanic word of the same shape. The -NI- becomes ñ / gn in all three.

English relatives: company, companion, accompany

Sound laws at work

NN, GN and N + yod

Learn it

Practice the Work & money deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esTrabaja para una compañía grande.
  • frElle travaille pour une grande compagnie.
  • itLavora per una grande compagnia.
  • ptEla trabalha numa empresa grande.
  • roLucrează la o firmă mare.
  • caTreballa en una gran empresa.
  • enShe works for a big company.

More in Work & money

All Work & money words