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"congratulations" in seven languages

Meaningcongratulations

Spanish

felicidades

/feliθiˈdades/

learned

Also for birthdays and holidays; for an achievement, also enhorabuena.

French

félicitations

/felisitasjɔ̃/

learned

Italian

congratulazioni

/kongratulatˈtsjoni/

other source · Latin CONGRĀTULĀRĪ 'to rejoice with' (learned)

For birthdays and holidays Italians say auguri.

Portuguese

parabéns

/paɾaˈbẽjs/

other source · Portuguese para 'for' + bens 'goods' (Latin BONA)

Also the birthday wish: parabéns pra você.

Romanian

felicitări

/feliˈtʃitərʲ/

borrowed · French féliciter (Latin FĒLĪCITĀRE)

Catalan

felicitats

/fəlisiˈtats/

learned

English

congratulations

/kəngrætʃəˈleɪʃənz/

other source · Latin congrātulārī

English → ItaliancongratulationscongratulazioniNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: felicity, felicitations; congratulate (it).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FĒLĪCITĀTEM‘happiness, good fortune’

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

The story

Spanish wishes you 'happinesses', French 'felicitations'; Italian congratulazioni matches English. The learned endings show two laws: -TĀTEM → -dad, -TIŌNEM → -tion, -zione.

English relatives: felicity, felicitations; congratulate (it)

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

Learn it

Practice the Greetings & courtesy deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¡Felicidades por el nuevo trabajo!
  • frFélicitations pour ton nouveau travail !
  • itCongratulazioni per il nuovo lavoro!
  • ptParabéns pelo novo emprego!
  • roFelicitări pentru noul loc de muncă!
  • caFelicitats per la nova feina!
  • enCongratulations on the new job!

More words from the same Latin

More in Greetings & courtesy

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