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"to freeze" in seven languages

Meaningto freeze

Spanish

helar

/eˈlaɾ/

inherited

Congelar (learned) is the everyday word for food and water: congelar la carne.

French

geler

/ʒəle/

inherited

Congeler is to freeze food; surgelé is frozen food.

Italian

gelare

/dʒeˈlare/

inherited

Congelare is used for food.

Portuguese

congelar

/kõʒeˈlah/

other source · Latin CONGELĀRE 'to freeze solid' (learned)

Romanian

îngheța

/ɨngeˈtsa/

other source · Latin *INGLACIĀRE, from GLACIĒS 'ice'

Catalan

gelar

/ʒəˈla/

inherited

English

freeze

/fɹiz/

native English · Old English frēosan

English → Italianto freezegelareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: gelatin, jelly, congeal.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

GELĀRE‘to freeze (GELU 'frost')’

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

The story

French and Italian softened G before e as usual (geler, gelare); Spanish dropped it and writes a silent h, helar, as in hermano from GERMĀNUM. The learned compound congelar / congeler / congelare is what you use for the freezer.

English relatives: gelatin, jelly, congeal

Sound laws at work

Initial I- (J-) and G before E, I

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEl lago se hiela en invierno.
  • frLe lac gèle en hiver.
  • itIl lago gela d'inverno.
  • ptO lago congela no inverno.
  • roLacul îngheață iarna.
  • caEl llac es gela a l'hivern.
  • enThe lake freezes in winter.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words