"young" in seven languages
Meaningyoung
Spanish
joven
/ˈxoben/
inherited
Plural jóvenes; also a noun, 'young person'.
French
jeune
/ʒœn/
inherited
Italian
giovane
/ˈdʒovane/
inherited
Portuguese
jovem
/ˈʒɔvẽj/
inherited
Romanian
tânăr
/ˈtɨnər/
other source · Latin TENERUM 'tender, delicate'
Catalan
jove
/ˈʒɔbə/
inherited
English
young
/jʌŋ/
Indo-European kin · PIE *h₂yuh₁en- 'young'
English → ItalianyounggiovaneDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche). But English has relatives: juvenile, junior, rejuvenate.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
IUVENEM‘young’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin initial I- (a y sound) became x in Spanish, ʒ in French and dʒ in Italian — the same path as IOCUM → juego, jeu, gioco.
English relatives: juvenile, junior, rejuvenate
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esMi abuela todavía se siente joven.
- frMa grand-mère se sent encore jeune.
- itMia nonna si sente ancora giovane.
- ptMinha avó ainda se sente jovem.
- roBunica mea încă se simte tânără.
- caLa meva àvia encara se sent jove.
- enMy grandmother still feels young.