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"to think" in seven languages

Meaningto think

Spanish

pensar

/penˈsaɾ/

learned

Semi-learned, yet it diphthongizes like an old word: pienso, piensas.

French

penser

/pɑ̃se/

learned

Italian

pensare

/penˈsare/

learned

Portuguese

pensar

/pẽˈsah/

learned

The inherited doublet is pesar 'to weigh'.

Romanian

gândi

/ɡɨnˈdi/

other source · Hungarian gond 'care, worry'

Catalan

pensar

/pənˈsa/

learned

English

think

/θɪŋk/

native English · Old English þencan

English → Italianto thinkpensareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pensive, pension, compensate, expensive.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PĒNSĀRE‘to weigh, ponder’

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

The story

Thinking was weighing. The inherited heirs of PĒNSĀRE lost the n and still mean 'to weigh' (pesar, peser, pesare); pensar, penser and pensare are the semi-learned doublets that kept it.

English relatives: pensive, pension, compensate, expensive

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In a sentence

  • es¿Qué piensas?
  • frQu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
  • itCosa ne pensi?
  • ptO que você pensa disso?
  • roTu ce crezi?
  • caQuè en penses?
  • enWhat do you think?

The Latin family

PEND-, PENS-· hang, weigh

PENSĀRE 'to weigh' already lost its n in spoken Latin (NS → S, as in MĒNSA → mesa), giving the inherited pesar, peser, pesare 'to weigh'. The Church and the schools kept the full form for 'weighing things in the mind', and pensar, penser, pensare 'to think' are that learned branch. French even has a third doublet: panser 'to dress (a wound)', originally just a spelling of penser 'to take care of'. Portuguese and Catalan keep both doublets (pesar beside pensar). Romanian kept only the worn-down one, as păsa 'to matter' (nu-mi pasă 'I don't care'), and thinks with gândi, a Hungarian loan.

  • PENSĀREto weigh

    espesarfrpeseritpesareptpesarropăsacapesar

  • PENSĀREto weigh in the mind, think

    espensarfrpenseritpensareptpensarcapensar

  • PENSUMa weight (of wool)

    espesofrpoidsitpesoptpesocapesenpoise

  • PENSIŌNEMa payment (weighed out)

    espensiónfrpensionitpensioneptpensãoropensiecapensióenpension

  • COMPENSĀREto weigh one thing against another

    escompensarfrcompenseritcompensareptcompensarrocompensacacompensarencompensate

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