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"welcome" in seven languages

Meaningwelcome

Spanish

bienvenido

/bjenbeˈnido/

inherited

Agrees with the guest: bienvenida, bienvenidos.

French

bienvenue

/bjɛ̃vəny/

inherited

Bienvenue serves as the greeting to anyone.

Italian

benvenuto

/benveˈnuto/

inherited

Agrees with the guest: benvenuta, benvenuti.

Portuguese

bem-vindo

/bẽjˈvĩdu/

inherited

Romanian

bine ai venit

/ˈbine aj veˈnit/

inherited

Literally 'well have you come'; to several people, bine ați venit.

Catalan

benvingut

/bəmbiŋˈgut/

inherited

English

welcome

/ˈwɛlkəm/

native English · Old English wilcuma

Half a distant cognate: -come is kin to VENĪRE (PIE *gʷem-), but wel- was originally "will, desire", later reshaped as "well".

English → ItalianwelcomebenvenutoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: benefit, benevolent; venue, advent, convene.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

BENE + VENĪRE‘well + to come’

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

The story

Built the same way in all three: 'well' plus the past participle of 'to come'. English welcome looks parallel but is native Old English, not a borrowing.

English relatives: benefit, benevolent; venue, advent, convene

Learn it

Practice the Greetings & courtesy deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¡Bienvenidos a Roma!
  • frBienvenue à Rome !
  • itBenvenuti a Roma!
  • ptBem-vindos a Roma!
  • roBine ați venit la Roma!
  • caBenvinguts a Roma!
  • enWelcome to Rome!

More in Greetings & courtesy

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