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"to intend (to do)" in seven languages

Meaningto intend (to do)

Spanish

tener la intención (de)

/teˈneɾ la intenˈθjon/

learned

French

avoir l'intention (de)

/avwaʁ lɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃/

learned

Italian

avere intenzione (di)

/aˈvere intenˈtsjone/

learned

Portuguese

pretender

/pɾetẽˈdeh/

other source · Latin PRAETENDERE 'to hold out, put forward'

A false friend: pretender means 'to intend', not 'to pretend' (fingir).

Romanian

intenționa

/intentsjoˈna/

borrowed · French intentionner

Catalan

tenir la intenció (de)

/təˈni lə intənsiˈo/

learned

English

intend

/ɪnˈtɛnd/

from Latin/French · Old French entendre, from Latin INTENDERE

English → Italianto intend (to do)avere intenzione (di)CognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

INTENDERE‘to stretch towards, aim at (noun INTENTIŌNEM)’

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

The story

The sisters 'have the intention' with the learned noun, because their inherited verbs drifted: Spanish entender is 'to understand', French entendre 'to hear', Italian intendere 'to mean'.

English relatives: intention, intent, tension, attend

Sound laws at work

-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTengo la intención de terminarlo hoy.
  • frJ'ai l'intention de le finir aujourd'hui.
  • itHo intenzione di finirlo oggi.
  • ptPretendo terminar isso hoje.
  • roIntenționez să-l termin azi.
  • caTinc la intenció d'acabar-ho avui.
  • enI intend to finish it today.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words