"to exist" in seven languages
Meaningto exist
Spanish
existir
/eksisˈtiɾ/
learned
French
exister
/ɛgziste/
learned
Italian
esistere
/eˈzistere/
learned
Portuguese
existir
/ezisˈtʃih/
learned
Romanian
exista
/egzisˈta/
learned
Catalan
existir
/əgzisˈti/
learned
English
exist
/ɪgˈzɪst/
from Latin/French · Latin EXSISTERE (via French exister)
English → Italianto existesistereCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
EXSISTERE‘to step out, emerge’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
To exist was 'to step out' into being. Italian writes x as s, Spanish and French moved the verb into their -ir and -er classes.
English relatives: existence, assist, insist, consist
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLos fantasmas no existen.
- frLes fantômes n'existent pas.
- itI fantasmi non esistono.
- ptFantasmas não existem.
- roFantomele nu există.
- caEls fantasmes no existeixen.
- enGhosts don't exist.
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- to kickdar una patadadonner un coup de piedcalciarechutarlovi cu picioruldonar una puntada de peu
- to transfertransferirtransférertrasferiretransferirtransferatransferir