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"to reserve" in seven languages

Meaningto reserve

Spanish

reservar

/reseɾˈbaɾ/

learned

French

réserver

/ʁezɛʁve/

learned

Italian

riservare

/riserˈvare/

learned

To book a table or a room, Italians usually say prenotare.

Portuguese

reservar

/hezehˈvah/

learned

Romanian

rezerva

/rezerˈva/

learned

Catalan

reservar

/rəzəɾˈba/

learned

English

reserve

/ɹɪˈzɝv/

from Latin/French · Old French reserver

English → Italianto reserveriservareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

RESERVĀRE‘to keep back’

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

The story

SERVĀRE meant 'to keep, watch over' (not 'to serve'); with RE- it became 'to keep back'. Italian swaps the prefix re- for its own ri-.

English relatives: reservation, preserve, conserve, observe

Sound laws at work

B and V merge in Spanish

Learn it

Practice the Core verbs deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esReservan las primeras filas para los invitados.
  • frIls réservent les premiers rangs aux invités.
  • itRiservano le prime file agli ospiti.
  • ptAs primeiras fileiras ficam reservadas para os convidados.
  • roPrimele rânduri sunt rezervate pentru invitați.
  • caReserven les primeres files per als convidats.
  • enThey reserve the front rows for guests.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words