"soon" in seven languages
Meaningsoon
Spanish
/ˈpɾonto/
other source · Latin PROMPTUM 'ready, at hand'
Hasta pronto: 'see you soon'. Presto survives only in literary style.
French
/bjɛ̃to/
other source · bien 'well' + tôt 'early' (Latin TOSTUM 'scorched')
À bientôt: 'see you soon'.
Italian
/ˈprɛsto/
inherited
Also 'early' and 'quickly'. Pronto means 'ready' — and 'hello?' on the phone.
Portuguese
/ˈlɔɡu/
other source · Latin LOCŌ 'on the spot'
Em breve is the more formal 'soon'.
Romanian
/kuˈrɨnd/
other source · Latin CURRENDŌ 'by running'
Catalan
/əbiˈat/
other source · probably a via 'on the way' (Latin VIA)
English
/sun/
native English · Old English sōna 'at once'
Watch out: false friends
pronto (Italian) means “ready; 'hello?' on the phone” · pronto (Spanish) means “soon, early”
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').
prêt (French) means “ready” · presto (Italian) means “soon, early”
Both from Latin PRAESTŌ 'at hand' (Late Latin adjective PRAESTUS). French kept 'ready'; Italian 'right away' → 'soon'. The two languages crossed with pronto.
The Latin ancestor
PRAESTŌ‘at hand, ready’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Two Latin words for 'ready' swapped jobs: Italian presto and Spanish pronto both mean 'soon', while Italian pronto means 'ready'. French built its own: 'well early', bientôt.
English relatives: presto (music); prompt (from PROMPTUM)
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¡Hasta pronto!
- frÀ bientôt !
- itA presto!
- ptAté logo!
- roPe curând!
- caFins aviat!
- enSee you soon!