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"to allow, to permit" in seven languages

Meaningto allow, to permit

Spanish

permitir

/peɾmiˈtiɾ/

learned

French

permettre

/pɛʁmɛtʁ/

learned

Conjugated like everyday mettre 'to put': permis, permettons.

Italian

permettere

/perˈmettere/

learned

Conjugated like mettere: permesso. Permesso? also means 'may I come in?'.

Portuguese

deixar

/dejˈʃah/

other source · Latin LAXĀRE 'to loosen'

Permitir is the formal word, as in Spanish.

Romanian

lăsa

/ləˈsa/

other source · Latin LAXĀRE 'to loosen'

Catalan

deixar

/dəˈʃa/

other source · Latin LAXĀRE 'to loosen'

English

allow

/əˈlaʊ/

other source · Old French alouer (Latin ALLAUDĀRE 'to praise' and ALLOCĀRE 'to assign')

English → Italianto allow, to permitpermettereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: permit, permission, permissive.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PERMITTERE‘to let go through, to allow (PER + MITTERE 'to send')’

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

The story

English allow is a French word of a different origin, but permit is the sisters' verb. French and Italian remodelled it on their own verbs for 'to put'.

English relatives: permit, permission, permissive

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In a sentence

  • esMis padres no me permiten salir.
  • frMes parents ne me permettent pas de sortir.
  • itI miei genitori non mi permettono di uscire.
  • ptMeus pais não me deixam sair.
  • roPărinții nu mă lasă să ies.
  • caEls meus pares no em deixen sortir.
  • enMy parents don't allow me to go out.

More words from the same Latin

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words