"to drink" in seven languages
Meaningto drink
Spanish
beber
/beˈbeɾ/
inherited
Tomar is also common for drinks: ¿Qué vas a tomar?
French
boire
/bwaʁ/
inherited
The lost v returns in nous buvons.
Italian
bere
/ˈbere/
inherited
Short for older bevere; the v returns in bevo, bevuto.
Portuguese
beber
/beˈbeh/
inherited
Romanian
bea
/be̯a/
inherited
Catalan
beure
/ˈbɛwɾə/
inherited
English
drink
/dɹɪŋk/
native English · Old English drincan
English → Italianto drinkbereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: imbibe, beverage (via Old French).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
BIBERE‘to drink’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spoken Latin moved the stress (*BIBĒRE), which is why Spanish says beber. French and Italian shortened the verb, but the full stem reappears in nous buvons and io bevo.
English relatives: imbibe, beverage (via Old French)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNo bebo café.
- frJe ne bois pas de café.
- itNon bevo caffè.
- ptNão bebo café.
- roNu beau cafea.
- caNo bec cafè.
- enI don't drink coffee.