"hard (not soft)" in seven languages
Meaninghard (not soft)
Spanish
duro
/ˈduɾo/
inherited
French
dur
/dyʁ/
inherited
Italian
duro
/ˈduro/
inherited
Portuguese
duro
/ˈduɾu/
inherited
Romanian
tare
/ˈtare/
other source · Latin TĀLEM 'such'
Also 'strong' and, as an adverb, 'very'.
Catalan
dur
/du/
inherited
English
hard
/hɑɹd/
native English · Old English heard
English → Italianhard (not soft)duroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: durable, endure, duration, during.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DŪRUM‘hard’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Long Ū stayed u in Spanish and Italian but moved forward to y in French dur. What is hard lasts: DŪRĀRE 'to last' gave English endure and during.
English relatives: durable, endure, duration, during
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl pan está duro.
- frLe pain est dur.
- itIl pane è duro.
- ptO pão está duro.
- roPâinea e tare.
- caEl pa està dur.
- enThe bread is hard.