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"to achieve (a goal)" in seven languages

Meaningto achieve (a goal)

Spanish

lograr

/loˈgɾaɾ/

inherited

Conseguir is just as common.

French

atteindre

/atɛ̃dʁ/

other source · Latin ATTINGERE 'to touch, reach'

French achever means 'to finish (off)' — a false friend.

Italian

raggiungere

/radˈdʒundʒere/

other source · ri- + aggiungere (Latin ADIUNGERE 'to join to')

Portuguese

alcançar

/awkɐ̃ˈsah/

other source · of debated origin (shared with Spanish alcanzar)

Lograr exists, but in Brazil it more often means 'to trick'.

Romanian

atinge

/aˈtindʒe/

other source · Latin ATTINGERE 'to touch, reach'

Catalan

aconseguir

/əkunsəˈgi/

other source · Latin CONSEQUĪ 'to follow, attain'

English

achieve

/əˈtʃiv/

other source · Old French achever 'to finish', from a chief 'to a head'

English → Italianto achieve (a goal)raggiungereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: lucrative, lucre.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LUCRĀRĪ‘to gain, profit’

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

The story

Spanish lograr is a Roman 'to make a profit', with the c softened to g; French 'touches' the goal and Italian 'joins' it. English achieve is French achever 'to bring to a head', which in French now means 'to finish off'.

English relatives: lucrative, lucre

Sound laws at work

Voiceless stops between vowels soften

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esLogró su objetivo.
  • frElle a atteint son objectif.
  • itHa raggiunto il suo obiettivo.
  • ptEla alcançou o seu objetivo.
  • roȘi-a atins obiectivul.
  • caVa aconseguir el seu objectiu.
  • enShe achieved her goal.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words