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"to fight, to struggle" in seven languages

Meaningto fight, to struggle

Spanish

luchar

/luˈtʃaɾ/

inherited

A physical brawl is usually pelear(se).

French

se battre

/sə batʁ/

other source · Latin BATTUERE 'to beat'

Lutter, also from LUCTĀRĪ, means 'to struggle': lutter contre la pauvreté.

Italian

lottare

/lotˈtare/

inherited

Portuguese

lutar

/luˈtah/

inherited

Romanian

lupta

/lupˈta/

inherited

Romanian -CT- → -pt-: LUCTĀRĪ → lupta, as LACTEM → lapte.

Catalan

lluitar

/ʎujˈta/

inherited

English

fight

/faɪt/

native English · Old English feohtan

English → Italianto fight, to strugglelottareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: reluctant.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LUCTĀRĪ‘to wrestle, struggle’

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

The story

Latin wrestling, LUCTĀRĪ, shows the CT split: ch in Spanish (luchar), tt in Italian (lottare), as in noche / notte. French fights by 'beating each other', se battre.

English relatives: reluctant

Sound laws at work

CT

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In a sentence

  • esTenemos que luchar por nuestros derechos.
  • frNous devons nous battre pour nos droits.
  • itDobbiamo lottare per i nostri diritti.
  • ptTemos que lutar pelos nossos direitos.
  • roTrebuie să luptăm pentru drepturile noastre.
  • caHem de lluitar pels nostres drets.
  • enWe have to fight for our rights.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words