"to confirm" in seven languages
Meaningto confirm
Spanish
confirmar
/konfiɾˈmaɾ/
learned
French
confirmer
/kɔ̃fiʁme/
learned
Italian
confermare
/konferˈmare/
learned
The e comes from fermo 'firm', the inherited heir of FIRMUM.
Portuguese
confirmar
/kõfihˈmah/
learned
Romanian
confirma
/konfirˈma/
learned
Catalan
confirmar
/kumfirˈma/
learned
English
confirm
/kənˈfɝm/
from Latin/French · Old French confermer, from Latin
English → Italianto confirmconfermareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
CŌNFIRMĀRE‘to make firm, strengthen’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
To confirm is to make firm (FIRMUS). Italian reshaped the verb on its everyday fermo 'firm, still', which is why it says confermare where the others keep the Latin i.
English relatives: firm, affirm, infirm, confirmation
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¿Puede confirmar la reserva?
- frPouvez-vous confirmer la réservation ?
- itPuò confermare la prenotazione?
- ptO senhor pode confirmar a reserva?
- roPuteți confirma rezervarea?
- caEm pot confirmar la reserva?
- enCan you confirm the booking?
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