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"sometimes" in seven languages

Meaningsometimes

Spanish

a veces

/a ˈbeθes/

inherited

Vez 'time, turn' from VICEM.

French

parfois

/paʁfwa/

inherited

par + fois; fois is VICĒS, worn down.

Italian

a volte

/a ˈvɔlte/

other source · Italian volta 'turn', from *VOLVITA (VOLVERE 'to roll')

Also talvolta.

Portuguese

às vezes

/as ˈvezis/

inherited

Romanian

uneori

/uneˈorʲ/

other source · Romanian une 'some' + ori 'times' (Latin HŌRA 'hour')

Catalan

de vegades

/də bəˈɡadəs/

other source · Late Latin *VICĀTA, from VICIS 'turn' (the same root)

English

sometimes

/ˈsʌmtaɪmz/

native English · Middle English some + time + -s

English → Italiansometimesa volteNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: vicissitude, vice versa.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

VICĒS‘turns, times’

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

The story

Spanish and French count occasions by VICĒS 'turns' (vez, fois); Italian counts them by turns of another kind, volta from VOLVERE. Vice versa is 'the turn reversed'.

English relatives: vicissitude, vice versa

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esA veces voy andando al trabajo.
  • frParfois, je vais au travail à pied.
  • itA volte vado al lavoro a piedi.
  • ptÀs vezes vou a pé para o trabalho.
  • roUneori merg pe jos la serviciu.
  • caDe vegades vaig a peu a la feina.
  • enSometimes I walk to work.

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