Skip to content

"otherwise, or else" in seven languages

Meaningotherwise, or else

Spanish

si no

/si no/

inherited

Written as two words; sino (one word) means 'but rather'. De lo contrario is more formal.

French

sinon

/sinɔ̃/

inherited

Italian

altrimenti

/altriˈmenti/

other source · altro 'other' + the adverb ending -menti (Latin MENTE)

Portuguese

senão

/siˈnɐ̃w/

inherited

Romanian

altfel

/ˈaltfel/

other source · alt 'other' (Latin ALTERUM) + fel 'kind' (Hungarian féle)

Catalan

si no

/si no/

inherited

Written apart; the single word sinó means 'but rather'.

English

otherwise

/ˈʌðɚwaɪz/

native English · Old English on ōþre wīsan 'in another way'

English → Italianotherwise, or elsealtrimentiNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SĪ NŌN‘if not’

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

The story

Spanish and French simply say 'if not'. Italian, like English, says 'in another way': altrimenti is otherwise, piece by piece.

Learn it

Practice the Little words deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esDate prisa, si no, vamos a perder el tren.
  • frDépêche-toi, sinon on va rater le train.
  • itSbrigati, altrimenti perdiamo il treno.
  • ptAnda logo, senão a gente perde o trem.
  • roGrăbește-te, altfel pierdem trenul.
  • caAfanya't, si no perdrem el tren.
  • enHurry up, otherwise we'll miss the train.

More in Little words

All Little words words