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"to charge (a battery, a phone)" in seven languages

Meaningto charge (a battery, a phone)

Spanish

cargar

/kaɾˈgaɾ/

inherited

French

charger

/ʃaʁʒe/

inherited

For a phone, usually recharger.

Italian

caricare

/kariˈkare/

inherited

Portuguese

carregar

/kaheˈɡah/

inherited

Romanian

încărca

/ɨnkərˈka/

inherited

Catalan

carregar

/kərəˈɡa/

inherited

English

charge

/tʃɑɹdʒ/

from Latin/French · Old French chargier

English → Italianto charge (a battery, a phone)caricareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CARRICĀRE (Late Latin)‘to load a cart (CARRUS)’

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

The story

To charge is to load the cart, CARRUS. Spanish squeezed it to cargar, French gave it cha-, Italian kept every syllable. English has both charge (French) and cargo (Spanish).

English relatives: charge, cargo (from Spanish), car, carry

Sound laws at work

French CA becomes cha

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTengo que cargar el móvil.
  • frJe dois recharger mon téléphone.
  • itDevo caricare il telefono.
  • ptPreciso carregar o celular.
  • roTrebuie să-mi încarc telefonul.
  • caHe de carregar el mòbil.
  • enI need to charge my phone.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words