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"to use" in seven languages

Meaningto use

Spanish

usar

/uˈsaɾ/

inherited

Utilizar is a common, more formal synonym.

French

utiliser

/ytilize/

other source · French utile ← Latin ŪTILEM 'useful', learned

User exists but now means 'to wear out'.

Italian

usare

/uˈzare/

inherited

Portuguese

usar

/uˈzah/

inherited

Romanian

folosi

/foloˈsi/

other source · Romanian folos 'benefit', from Greek óphelos

Catalan

fer servir

/fe səɾˈbi/

other source · fer 'to do' (Latin FACERE) + servir 'to serve' (Latin SERVĪRE)

English

use

/juz/

from Latin/French · Old French user

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

Watch out: false friends

  • user (French) means “to wear out” · usar (Spanish) means “to use”

    Both from spoken Latin *ŪSĀRE, built on ŪSUS 'use'. French narrowed it to using something up (user ses chaussures); user de 'to make use of' survives only in formal French.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

*ŪSĀRE (spoken Latin)‘to use (from ŪSUS, ŪTĪ)’

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

The story

Spoken Latin made a regular verb from ŪSUS 'use'. French had it too (user, borrowed by English as 'use'), but its sense drifted to 'wear out', so French now uses learned utiliser.

English relatives: usage, usual, abuse; utility (ŪTILIS)

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In a sentence

  • es¿Puedo usar tu teléfono?
  • frJe peux utiliser ton téléphone ?
  • itPosso usare il tuo telefono?
  • ptPosso usar o seu telefone?
  • roPot să folosesc telefonul tău?
  • caPuc fer servir el teu telèfon?
  • enCan I use your phone?

More in Core verbs

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