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"guilty" in seven languages

Meaningguilty

Spanish

culpable

/kulˈpable/

learned

French

coupable

/kupabl/

inherited

Italian

colpevole

/kolˈpevole/

inherited

Portuguese

culpado

/kuwˈpadu/

other source · participle of culpar 'to blame' (Latin CULPĀRE)

Culpável exists but is formal.

Romanian

vinovat

/vinoˈvat/

other source · vină 'guilt', from Old Church Slavonic vina

Catalan

culpable

/kulˈpablə/

learned

English

guilty

/ˈɡɪlti/

native English · Old English gyltig

English → ItalianguiltycolpevoleNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: culpable, culprit, mea culpa.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CULPĀBILEM‘blameworthy (from CULPA 'fault')’

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

The story

French vocalized the l before p (cul- → cou-); Italian opened the u to o and gave the ending its own shape (-evole). Spanish culpable is the learned form, letter for letter Latin.

English relatives: culpable, culprit, mea culpa

Sound laws at work

L before a consonant becomes u

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In a sentence

  • esEl jurado lo declaró culpable.
  • frLe jury l'a déclaré coupable.
  • itLa giuria lo ha dichiarato colpevole.
  • ptO júri o declarou culpado.
  • roJuriul l-a găsit vinovat.
  • caEl jurat el va declarar culpable.
  • enThe jury found him guilty.

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