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"theory" in seven languages

Meaningtheory

Spanish

teoría

/teoˈɾia/

fem.learned

French

théorie

/teɔʁi/

fem.learned

Italian

teoria

/teoˈria/

fem.learned

Portuguese

teoria

/teoˈɾiɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

teorie

/teoˈrie/

fem.learned

Catalan

teoria

/təuˈɾiə/

fem.learned

English

theory

/ˈθiəɹi/

from Latin/French · Late Latin THEŌRIA, from Greek

English → ItaliantheoryteoriaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

THEŌRIAM‘contemplation, speculation (from Greek theōría 'a viewing')’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian drop the Greek h and stress the i (teoría, teoria); French keeps th in spelling but says t.

English relatives: theoretical, theorem; theatre (same Greek root 'to view')

Learn it

In a sentence

  • esEn teoría, debería funcionar.
  • frEn théorie, ça devrait marcher.
  • itIn teoria dovrebbe funzionare.
  • ptNa teoria, deveria funcionar.
  • roÎn teorie, ar trebui să meargă.
  • caEn teoria, hauria de funcionar.
  • enIn theory, it should work.

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