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"something" in seven languages

Meaningsomething

Spanish

algo

/ˈalɡo/

other source · Latin ALIQUOD 'something'

French

quelque chose

/kɛlkə ʃoz/

inherited

Italian

qualcosa

/kwalˈkɔsa/

inherited

Short for qualche cosa.

Portuguese

alguma coisa

/awˈɡumɐ ˈkojzɐ/

inherited

Algo exists too, as in Spanish.

Romanian

ceva

/ˈtʃeva/

other source · ce 'what' + va (from vrea 'to want')

Catalan

alguna cosa

/əlˈɡunə ˈkɔzə/

inherited

English

something

/ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

native English · Old English sum þing

English → ItaliansomethingqualcosaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: cause, because.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CAUSAM‘cause; (spoken) matter, thing’

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

The story

French and Italian say 'some thing' with the heir of CAUSA (chose, cosa), just like English. Spanish kept the Latin pronoun ALIQUOD, worn down to algo.

English relatives: cause, because

Sound laws at work

AU becomes oFrench CA becomes cha

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esQuiero decirte algo.
  • frJe veux te dire quelque chose.
  • itVoglio dirti qualcosa.
  • ptQuero te contar uma coisa.
  • roVreau să-ți spun ceva.
  • caEt vull dir una cosa.
  • enI want to tell you something.

The Latin family

CAUS-· cause, case

CAUSA 'reason, lawsuit' became the ordinary Romance word for 'thing': cosa, chose, cosa — a 'matter' in the legal sense, generalized. The learned doublet causa, cause kept the original meaning, and the courtroom sense lives on in accuse and excuse. Portuguese coisa (Old Portuguese cousa) and Catalan cosa followed; Romanian says lucru, from LUCRUM 'gain'.

  • CAUSAMcause; case → thing

    escosafrchoseitcosaptcoisacacosa

  • CAUSAMcause (learned)

    escausafrcauseitcausaptcausarocauzăcacausaencause

  • CAUSĀRĪ (Med. Lat. CAUSĀRE)to plead a case; to cause

    escausarfrcauseritcausareptcausarrocauzacacausarencause

  • ACCŪSĀREto call to account

    esacusarfraccuseritaccusareptacusarroacuzacaacusarenaccuse

  • EXCŪSĀREto free from a charge

    esexcusarfrexcuseritscusareptescusarroscuzacaexcusarenexcuse

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