"ready" in seven languages
Meaningready
Spanish
/ˈlisto/
other source · uncertain origin
Ser listo means 'to be clever'; estar listo, 'to be ready'.
French
/pʁɛ/
other source · Late Latin PRAESTUS 'at hand', from PRAESTŌ
Italian
/ˈpronto/
inherited
Also how Italians answer the phone.
Portuguese
/ˈpɾõtu/
inherited
Romanian
/ˈɡata/
other source · Slavic gotovŭ 'ready'
Invariable: masa e gata, cina e gata.
Catalan
/ə ˈpun/
other source · Latin PUNCTUM 'point'
Llest is also common.
English
/ˈɹɛdi/
native English · Old English rǣde
Watch out: false friends
presto (Italian) means “soon, early” · prêt (French) means “ready”
Both from Latin PRAESTŌ 'at hand' (Late Latin adjective PRAESTUS). French kept 'ready'; Italian 'right away' → 'soon'. The two languages crossed with pronto.
pronto (Spanish) means “soon, early” · pronto (Italian) means “ready; 'hello?' on the phone”
Both from Latin PROMPTUM 'brought out, at hand'. Italian kept 'ready'; Spanish moved to 'soon' (though some Latin American Spanish, as in Uruguay, uses pronto for 'ready').
The Latin ancestor
PROMPTUM‘brought out, at hand’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Italian pronto is English prompt. Spanish pronto, from the same word, means 'soon' — a classic trap; 'ready' is listo, of uncertain origin, while French prêt comes from PRAESTŌ 'at hand'.
English relatives: prompt
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In a sentence
- esLa cena está lista.
- frLe dîner est prêt.
- itLa cena è pronta.
- ptO jantar está pronto.
- roCina e gata.
- caEl sopar ja està a punt.
- enDinner is ready.