"father-in-law" in seven languages
Meaningfather-in-law
Spanish
suegro
/ˈswegɾo/
masc.inherited
French
beau-père
/bopɛʁ/
masc.other source · beau 'fair' + père, a courtesy title
Also 'stepfather'.
Italian
suocero
/ˈswɔtʃero/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
sogro
/ˈsoɡɾu/
masc.inherited
Romanian
socru
/ˈsokru/
masc.inherited
Catalan
sogre
/ˈsɔɡɾə/
masc.inherited
English
father-in-law
/ˈfɑðɚ ɪn lɔ/
native English · Middle English fader in lawe
plural: fathers-in-law
English → Italianfather-in-lawsuoceroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SOCERUM (nom. SOCER)‘father-in-law’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish and Italian kept SOCERUM, its short o broken into ue / uo. French politely calls in-laws 'fair father, beautiful mother' — and beau-père, belle-mère also mean stepfather and stepmother.
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esMi suegro es agricultor.
- frMon beau-père est agriculteur.
- itMio suocero è agricoltore.
- ptMeu sogro é agricultor.
- roSocrul meu e agricultor.
- caEl meu sogre és pagès.
- enMy father-in-law is a farmer.