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"to regret" in seven languages

Meaningto regret

Spanish

lamentar

/lamenˈtaɾ/

other source · Latin LĀMENTĀRĪ 'to wail' (learned)

For remorse Spanish says arrepentirse (no me arrepiento de nada).

French

regretter

/ʁəgʁete/

inherited

Also 'to miss' someone or something gone.

Italian

rimpiangere

/rimˈpjandʒere/

other source · Latin RE- + IN- + PLANGERE 'to beat the breast, mourn'

Also 'to miss, long for'; for remorse pentirsi.

Portuguese

arrepender-se

/ahepẽˈdehsi/

other source · Latin PAENITĒRE 'to repent', with prefixes

For a sorry turn of events Portuguese also says lamentar.

Romanian

regreta

/regreˈta/

borrowed · French regretter

Catalan

penedir-se

/pənəˈdiɾsə/

other source · Latin PAENITĒRE 'to repent'

English

regret

/ɹɪˈgɹɛt/

from Latin/French · Old French regreter

English → Italianto regretrimpiangereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: lament (es); plaintive, complain (it).What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Old French regreter‘to lament (the dead); origin disputed, perhaps Germanic’

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

The story

English took regret from French, where its origin is disputed. Spanish and Italian 'lament' and 'mourn again': rimpiangere is RE-IN-PLANGERE, the root of complain.

English relatives: lament (es); plaintive, complain (it)

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esLamenta haber vendido la casa.
  • frElle regrette d'avoir vendu la maison.
  • itRimpiange di aver venduto la casa.
  • ptEla se arrepende de ter vendido a casa.
  • roRegretă că a vândut casa.
  • caEs penedeix d'haver venut la casa.
  • enShe regrets selling the house.

More in Core verbs

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