"if" in seven languages
Meaningif
Spanish
si
/si/
inherited
Without an accent; sí means 'yes'.
French
si
/si/
inherited
Elides before il(s): s'il.
Italian
se
/se/
inherited
Sé with an accent means 'oneself'.
Portuguese
se
/si/
inherited
Romanian
dacă
/ˈdakə/
other source · Romanian de + că 'that'
Catalan
si
/si/
inherited
English
if
/ɪf/
native English · Old English gif
English → ItalianifseNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SĪ‘if’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin SĪ survives untouched in Spanish and French; Italian lowered the vowel to se. Spanish sí 'yes' is a different word (SĪC 'thus').
Learn it
In a sentence
- esSi llueve, nos quedamos en casa.
- frS'il pleut, on reste à la maison.
- itSe piove, restiamo a casa.
- ptSe chover, a gente fica em casa.
- roDacă plouă, rămânem acasă.
- caSi plou, ens quedem a casa.
- enIf it rains, we'll stay home.