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"to bring" in seven languages

Meaningto bring

Spanish

traer

/tɾaˈeɾ/

other source · Latin TRAHERE 'to pull, drag'

French

apporter

/apɔʁte/

inherited

From APPORTĀRE, PORTĀRE with the prefix ad- 'toward'.

Italian

portare

/porˈtare/

inherited

Covers both 'bring' and 'carry'.

Portuguese

trazer

/tɾaˈzeh/

other source · Latin TRAHERE 'to pull, drag'

Romanian

aduce

/aˈdutʃe/

other source · Latin ADDŪCERE 'to lead to'

Catalan

portar

/puɾˈta/

inherited

English

bring

/bɹɪŋ/

native English · Old English bringan

English → Italianto bringportareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: porter, portable, import, transport; traction, attract (TRAHERE).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PORTĀRE‘to carry’

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

The story

Italian portare simply carries; French adds a prefix to point the carrying toward the speaker. Spanish traer comes from TRAHERE 'to drag', the root of English traction and attract.

English relatives: porter, portable, import, transport; traction, attract (TRAHERE)

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In a sentence

  • esTráeme un vaso de agua, por favor.
  • frApporte-moi un verre d'eau, s'il te plaît.
  • itPortami un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore.
  • ptMe traz um copo de água, por favor.
  • roAdu-mi un pahar cu apă, te rog.
  • caPorta'm un got d'aigua, si us plau.
  • enBring me a glass of water, please.

The Latin family

PORT-· carry

PORTĀRE is the ordinary 'carry' of French (porter) and Italian (portare); Spanish prefers llevar (LEVĀRE 'to lift') and keeps portar for 'to bear' and portarse 'to behave'. Its prefixed forms travelled widely as learned words — and one of them, via Old French, became English sport. Romanian purta and Catalan portar are everyday 'carry' verbs; Portuguese, like Spanish, carries with levar.

  • PORTĀREto carry

    esportarfrporteritportareptportarropurtacaportar

  • IMPORTĀREto carry in

    esimportarfrimporteritimportareptimportarroimportacaimportarenimport

  • SUPPORTĀREto carry up, bear

    essoportarfrsupporteritsopportareptsuportarrosuportacasuportarensupport

  • TRANSPORTĀREto carry across

    estransportarfrtransporterittrasportarepttransportarrotransportacatransportarentransport

  • DĒPORTĀREto carry away

    esdeportefrdéporteritdiportoptesporterosportcaesport

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More words from the same Latin

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