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"smart, intelligent" in seven languages

Meaningsmart, intelligent

Spanish

inteligente

/inteliˈxente/

learned

Colloquially listo: ser listo 'to be clever', but estar listo 'to be ready'.

French

intelligent

/ɛ̃teliʒɑ̃/

learned

Colloquially malin, maligne.

Italian

intelligente

/intelliˈdʒɛnte/

learned

Colloquially sveglio, 'awake'.

Portuguese

inteligente

/ĩteliˈʒẽtʃi/

learned

Romanian

deștept

/deʃˈtept/

other source · deștepta 'to wake up', from Latin *DĒEXCITĀRE

fem.: deșteaptă

Catalan

intel·ligent

/intəliˈʒen/

learned

English

smart

/smɑɹt/

native English · Old English smeart 'stinging'

Intelligent is the sisters' word.

English → Italiansmart, intelligentintelligenteNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: intelligent, intelligence, intellect.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

INTELLIGENTEM‘understanding (INTER + LEGERE 'to choose between')’

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

The story

To be intelligent is to 'pick between' things. English smart started as a sting, then meant sharp, then quick-witted.

English relatives: intelligent, intelligence, intellect

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In a sentence

  • esTu hermana es muy inteligente.
  • frTa sœur est très intelligente.
  • itTua sorella è molto intelligente.
  • ptSua irmã é muito inteligente.
  • roSora ta e foarte deșteaptă.
  • caLa teva germana és molt intel·ligent.
  • enYour sister is very smart.

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