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"to enjoy (have, take pleasure in)" in seven languages

Meaningto enjoy (have, take pleasure in)

Spanish

gozar

/goˈθaɾ/

inherited

Built on gozo 'joy' (GAUDIUM); for everyday enjoying, Spanish says disfrutar.

French

jouir

/ʒwiʁ/

inherited

Formal (jouir d'une bonne santé) and also sexual; for a meal or a holiday, say profiter de or apprécier.

Italian

godere

/goˈdere/

inherited

Everyday 'enjoy it!' is godersela or goditi.

Portuguese

gozar

/ɡoˈzah/

inherited

Formed on gozo (GAUDIUM), like Spanish gozar; 'to enjoy' a holiday is more often aproveitar or curtir.

Romanian

se bucura

/se bukuˈra/

other source · of uncertain origin (comparison with Albanian bukur 'beautiful' has been proposed)

Catalan

gaudir

/ɡəwˈdi/

inherited

English

enjoy

/ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/

from Latin/French · Old French enjoir (en- + joir, Latin GAUDĒRE)

English → Italianto enjoy (have, take pleasure in)godereCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

GAUDĒRE (spoken Latin *GAUDĪRE)‘to rejoice, to delight in’

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

The story

Latin AU closed to o in Spanish and Italian (gozar, godere) and to ou in French. English joy and enjoy are the same French word, so the whole family is hiding in plain sight.

English relatives: joy, enjoy, rejoice, jewel (all via French)

Sound laws at work

AU becomes o

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In a sentence

  • esGoza de una salud excelente.
  • frIl jouit d'une excellente santé.
  • itGode di ottima salute.
  • ptEle goza de excelente saúde.
  • roSe bucură de o sănătate excelentă.
  • caGaudeix d'una salut excel·lent.
  • enHe enjoys excellent health.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words