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"the future" in seven languages

Meaningthe future

Spanish

futuro

/fuˈtuɾo/

masc.learned

French

avenir

/avniʁ/

masc.other source · French à venir 'to come' (Latin VENĪRE)

Futur exists, but mostly for the future tense and in le futur mari 'the husband-to-be'.

Italian

futuro

/fuˈturo/

masc.learned

Portuguese

futuro

/fuˈtuɾu/

masc.learned

Romanian

viitor

/viiˈtor/

neut.other source · Romanian veni 'to come' (Latin VENĪRE) + -tor: 'the one coming'

Catalan

futur

/fuˈtuɾ/

masc.learned

English

future

/ˈfjutʃɚ/

from Latin/French · Old French futur, from Latin

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

The Latin ancestor

FUTŪRUM‘about to be (future participle of ESSE)’

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

The story

FUTŪRUM was the participle of 'to be': 'what will be'. Everyday French prefers its own phrase, l'avenir, 'what is to come' (compare English avenue, adventure).

English relatives: futurism, futuristic

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esNadie conoce el futuro.
  • frPersonne ne connaît l'avenir.
  • itNessuno conosce il futuro.
  • ptNinguém conhece o futuro.
  • roNimeni nu cunoaște viitorul.
  • caNingú no coneix el futur.
  • enNobody knows the future.

More in Time

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