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"usually, generally" in seven languages

Meaningusually, generally

Spanish

generalmente

/xeneɾalˈmente/

learned

Normalmente is just as common, and so is soler: suelo comer a las dos.

French

généralement

/ʒeneʁalmɑ̃/

learned

D'habitude is the everyday alternative.

Italian

generalmente

/dʒeneralˈmente/

learned

Di solito is the everyday alternative.

Portuguese

geralmente

/ʒeɾawˈmẽtʃi/

inherited

Geral lost the intervocalic -n- of GENERĀLEM, as lua lost that of LUNA.

Romanian

de obicei

/de oˈbitʃej/

other source · Romanian obicei 'custom' (Slavic obyčaji)

Catalan

generalment

/ʒənəɾəlˈmen/

learned

English

usually

/ˈjuʒuəli/

other source · Latin ŪSUĀLIS (via Old French usuel) + native -ly

English → Italianusually, generallygeneralmenteNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: general, generally, gender, genre.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

GENERĀLEM‘of the kind, general’

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

The story

All three build the adverb from the ablative MENTE: -mente in Spanish and Italian, -ment in French. In everyday speech they also say d'habitude, di solito, or use Spanish soler 'to be in the habit of'.

English relatives: general, generally, gender, genre

Sound laws at work

Adverbs in -mente / -ment

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In a sentence

  • esGeneralmente me levanto a las siete.
  • frGénéralement, je me lève à sept heures.
  • itGeneralmente mi alzo alle sette.
  • ptGeralmente eu acordo às sete.
  • roDe obicei mă trezesc la șapte.
  • caGeneralment em llevo a les set.
  • enI usually get up at seven.

More words from the same Latin

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