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"to laugh" in seven languages

Meaningto laugh

Spanish

reír

/reˈiɾ/

inherited

Often reflexive: reírse de 'to laugh at'.

French

rire

/ʁiʁ/

inherited

Italian

ridere

/ˈridere/

inherited

Laughter is il riso — the same spelling as riso 'rice' (from ORYZA).

Portuguese

rir

/hih/

inherited

Romanian

râde

/ˈrɨde/

inherited

Romanian turned i after r into â: RĪDERE → râde.

Catalan

riure

/ˈriwɾə/

inherited

The d became a u-glide: RĪDERE → riure.

English

laugh

/læf/

native English · Old English hliehhan

English → Italianto laughridereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: ridiculous, deride, risible.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

RĪDĒRE (spoken *RĪDERE)‘to laugh’

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

The story

Italian keeps the d; Spanish and French lost it. Spoken Latin moved the stress to the stem (RĪ-), which is why Italian says RIdere and French rire.

English relatives: ridiculous, deride, risible

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • es¡No me hagas reír!
  • frNe me fais pas rire !
  • itNon farmi ridere!
  • ptNão me faça rir!
  • roNu mă face să râd!
  • caNo em facis riure!
  • enDon't make me laugh!

More in Feelings

All Feelings words