"nobody, no one" in seven languages
Meaningnobody, no one
Spanish
/ˈnadje/
other source · Latin (HOMINĒS) NĀTĪ '(men) born', through Old Spanish nadi
French
/pɛʁsɔn/
other source · Latin PERSŌNAM 'person'
Needs ne: je ne vois personne.
Italian
/nesˈsuno/
other source · Latin NE IPSE ŪNUS 'not even one'
Portuguese
/nĩˈɡẽj/
other source · Latin NEC QUEM 'nor whom'
Romanian
/ˈnimenʲ/
other source · Latin NĒMINEM (nom. NĒMŌ) 'no one'
Of the six sisters, only Romanian kept Latin's own word for 'nobody'.
Catalan
/niŋˈɡu/
other source · Latin NEC ŪNUS 'not one'
English
/ˈnoʊbɑdi/
native English · no + body (Old English bodig)
The story
French 'nobody' is literally 'person': it became negative by keeping company with ne, just as rien 'nothing' was once 'thing'. Spanish nadie and Italian nessuno carry the negation inside the word.
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In a sentence
- esNadie lo sabe.
- frPersonne ne le sait.
- itNessuno lo sa.
- ptNinguém sabe.
- roNimeni nu știe.
- caNingú no ho sap.
- enNobody knows.
More in Little words
- easilyfácilmentefacilementfacilmentefacilmenteușorfàcilment
- literallyliteralmentelittéralementletteralmenteliteralmenteliteralliteralment
- thus (in this way)asíainsicosìassimașaaixí
- overall, on the wholeen conjuntodans l'ensemblenel complessono geralper totalen conjunt
- otherwise, or elsesi nosinonaltrimentisenãoaltfelsi no
- apparentlyaparentementeapparemmentapparentementeaparentementeaparentaparentment