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"to show" in seven languages

Meaningto show

Spanish

mostrar

/mosˈtɾaɾ/

inherited

Enseñar ('to teach') is the everyday way to show something: enséñame las fotos.

French

montrer

/mɔ̃tʁe/

inherited

Italian

mostrare

/mosˈtrare/

inherited

Portuguese

mostrar

/mosˈtɾah/

inherited

Romanian

arăta

/arəˈta/

other source · of disputed origin

Catalan

ensenyar

/ənsəˈɲa/

other source · spoken Latin *INSIGNĀRE 'to mark'

Ensenyar also means 'to teach'; mostrar exists but is less common.

English

show

/ʃoʊ/

native English · Old English scēawian 'to look at'

English → Italianto showmostrareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: demonstrate, monster, muster.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MŌNSTRĀRE‘to point out, show’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian dropped the n before s, as spoken Latin already did; French kept it as a nasal vowel. A 'monster' was originally a sign shown by the gods.

English relatives: demonstrate, monster, muster

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowel

Learn it

Practice the Core verbs deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esMuéstrame las fotos.
  • frMontre-moi les photos.
  • itMostrami le foto.
  • ptMe mostra as fotos.
  • roArată-mi pozele.
  • caEnsenya'm les fotos.
  • enShow me the photos.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words