"to improve" in seven languages
Meaningto improve
Spanish
mejorar
/mexoˈɾaɾ/
inherited
French
améliorer
/ameljɔʁe/
inherited
Formed in French on the old comparative meillor, today meilleur.
Italian
migliorare
/miʎʎoˈrare/
inherited
Portuguese
melhorar
/meʎoˈɾah/
inherited
LI became lh, as in folha 'leaf'.
Romanian
îmbunătăți
/ɨmbunətəˈtsi/
other source · Romanian în- + bunătate 'goodness' (Latin BONITĀTEM)
Catalan
millorar
/miʎuˈɾa/
inherited
English
improve
/ɪmˈpɹuv/
other source · Anglo-French emprouer 'to turn to profit'
English → Italianto improvemigliorareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: ameliorate.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MELIŌRĀRE (Late Latin)‘to make better’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
All three are 'to make better', from MELIOR. The li split three ways, as in hoja, feuille, foglia: Spanish j, French ill, Italian gli.
English relatives: ameliorate
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esQuiero mejorar mi italiano.
- frJe veux améliorer mon italien.
- itVoglio migliorare il mio italiano.
- ptQuero melhorar meu italiano.
- roVreau să-mi îmbunătățesc italiana.
- caVull millorar el meu italià.
- enI want to improve my Italian.
More in Core verbs
- to prevent (stop from happening)impedirempêcherimpedireimpedirîmpiedicaimpedir
- to produceproducirproduireprodurreproduzirproduceproduir
- to carryllevarporterportarelevarduceportar
- to proveprobarprouverprovareprovardovediprovar
- to wake updespertarsese réveillersvegliarsiacordartrezidespertar-se
- to developdesarrollardéveloppersvilupparedesenvolverdezvoltadesenvolupar