"must, to have to" in seven languages
Meaningmust, to have to
Spanish
deber
/deˈbeɾ/
inherited
Tener que is more common in speech: tengo que irme.
French
devoir
/dəvwaʁ/
inherited
Italian
dovere
/doˈvere/
inherited
Portuguese
dever
/deˈveh/
inherited
Romanian
trebui
/trebuˈi/
other source · Old Church Slavonic trěbovati 'to need'
Catalan
haver de
/əˈbɛ də/
other source · Latin HABĒRE 'to have' + DĒ
English
must
/mʌst/
native English · Old English mōste, past of mōtan
English → Italianmust, to have todovereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: debt, debit, due, duty.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DĒBĒRE‘to owe’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
'Must' began as 'owe' — and still means it: Spanish deber, French devoir and Italian dovere all mean 'to owe' too. Latin B softened to v in French and Italian.
English relatives: debt, debit, due, duty
Learn it
In a sentence
- esDebes descansar.
- frTu dois te reposer.
- itDevi riposare.
- ptVocê deve descansar.
- roTrebuie să te odihnești.
- caHas de descansar.
- enYou must rest.
More words from the same Latin
More in Core verbs
- to showmostrarmontrermostraremostrararătaensenyar
- to keep (hold on to)guardargardertenereguardarpăstraguardar
- to let, to allow; to leavedejarlaisserlasciaredeixarlăsadeixar
- to start, to beginempezarcommencercominciarecomeçarîncepecomençar
- to changecambiarchangercambiaremudarschimbacanviar
- to meansignificarsignifiersignificaresignificarînsemnavoler dir