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"fault (blame)" in seven languages

Meaningfault (blame)

Spanish

culpa

/ˈkulpa/

fem.learned

Semi-learned: an inherited form would have o, like Italian.

French

faute

/fot/

fem.other source · spoken Latin *FALLITA 'a failing' (from FALLERE)

Italian

colpa

/ˈkolpa/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

culpa

/ˈkuwpɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

vină

/ˈvinə/

fem.other source · Old Church Slavonic vina

Catalan

culpa

/ˈkulpə/

fem.learned

English

fault

/fɔlt/

other source · Old French faute ← spoken Latin *FALLITA

The l was put back in spelling, then in speech.

English → Italianfault (blame)colpaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: culprit, culpable, exculpate.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CULPAM‘fault, blame’

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

The story

'It's my fault' is culpa / colpa in Spanish and Italian, from CULPA; French and English say faute / fault, from a spoken Latin 'failing'. Italian colpa shows the regular short u → o that Spanish culpa skipped.

English relatives: culprit, culpable, exculpate

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esNo es culpa mía.
  • frCe n'est pas ma faute.
  • itNon è colpa mia.
  • ptNão é culpa minha.
  • roNu e vina mea.
  • caNo és culpa meva.
  • enIt's not my fault.

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