"to know (a fact)" in seven languages
Meaningto know (a fact)
Spanish
saber
/saˈbeɾ/
inherited
French
savoir
/savwaʁ/
inherited
Italian
sapere
/saˈpere/
inherited
Portuguese
saber
/saˈbeh/
inherited
Romanian
ști
/ʃti/
other source · Latin SCĪRE 'to know'
Romanian alone kept SCĪRE, the Classical verb the western sisters replaced with SAPERE.
Catalan
saber
/səˈbe/
inherited
English
know
/noʊ/
native English · Old English cnāwan
English → Italianto know (a fact)sapereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: sapient, Homo sapiens, savant, savvy.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SAPERE (spoken Latin *SAPĒRE)‘to taste, have sense’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Knowing was first tasting: SAPERE meant 'to have a flavour, be wise'. Spanish saber still means both 'to know' and 'to taste of'. Knowing a person or a place is a different verb everywhere: conocer, connaître, conoscere (COGNŌSCERE).
English relatives: sapient, Homo sapiens, savant, savvy
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNo lo sé.
- frJe ne sais pas.
- itNon lo so.
- ptNão sei.
- roNu știu.
- caNo ho sé.
- enI don't know.