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"opportunity, chance" in seven languages

Meaningopportunity, chance

Spanish

oportunidad

/opoɾtuniˈdad/

fem.learned

French

occasion

/ɔkazjɔ̃/

fem.other source · Latin OCCĀSIŌNEM 'favourable moment'

Opportunité exists, but its traditional sense is 'timeliness'; d'occasion means 'second-hand'.

Italian

opportunità

/opportuniˈta/

fem.learned

Occasione is just as common.

Portuguese

oportunidade

/opohtuniˈdadʒi/

fem.learned

Romanian

oportunitate

/oportuniˈtate/

fem.learned

Catalan

oportunitat

/upurtuniˈtat/

fem.learned

English

opportunity

/ˌɑpɚˈtunəti/

from Latin/French · Old French opportunité (Latin OPPORTŪNITĀTEM)

English → Italianopportunity, chanceopportunitàCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

OPPORTŪNITĀTEM‘fitness, favourable occasion (from OPPORTŪNUS)’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian keep the Latin word with their own -dad and -tà. French prefers occasion, which Spanish and Italian also have (ocasión, occasione).

English relatives: opportune, occasion

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

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In a sentence

  • esEs una gran oportunidad.
  • frC'est une belle occasion.
  • itÈ una grande opportunità.
  • ptÉ uma grande oportunidade.
  • roEste o mare oportunitate.
  • caÉs una gran oportunitat.
  • enIt's a great opportunity.

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