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Language Similarity

(1) Many words are exactly the same across English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian due to shared Latin or Greek roots, especially in fields like science, technology, culture, and international affairs. These words have become globally recognized and adopted, helping to create a common linguistic bridge between the languages. While pronunciation and grammar may differ, the spelling of these words often remains consistent, making them useful for language learners and international communication.

Animal

Hospital – (German may also say Krankenhaus)

Doctor – (French: docteur)

Computer – (French: ordinateur:)

Internet

Radio

Opera

Piano

Festival

Drama

Taxi

Hotel

Video

Stress

Pizza

Banana

(2) Many words in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian are similar in form and meaning due to shared historical roots, especially from Latin and Greek. These similarities are most common in areas like science, education, culture, and modern life. While spelling, pronunciation, or usage might vary slightly, the core of the word remains recognizable across the languages. This overlap makes it easier for learners to identify and understand new vocabulary when studying multiple languages.

Museum – museum / museo / musée / Museum
Biology – biology / biología / biologie / Biologie / biologia
Culture – cultura / culture / Kultur / cultura
Music – música / musique / Musik / musica
President – president / presidente / président / Präsident
Police – police / policía / Polizei / polizia
Democracy – democracia / démocratie / Demokratie / democrazia
Phone / Telephone – teléfono / téléphone / Telefon / telefono
Idea – idea / idée / Idee / idea
Information – information / información / informazione / Information
Emotion – emoción / émotion / Emotion / emozione
Energy – energy / energía / énergie / Energie / energia
Television - televisión / télévision / television / televisione
Restaurant – restaurant / restaurante / ristorante / Restaurant
Bank – bank / banco / banque / Bank
Airport – aeropuerto / aéroport / Flughafen / aeroporto
(German is the outlier here)
Atom – átomo / atome / Atom / atomo
Oxygen – oxígeno / oxygène / Sauerstoff / ossigeno
(Again, German uses a different root for some scientific terms)
Planet – planeta / planète / Planet / pianeta
University – universidad / université / Universität / università
Student – estudiante / étudiant / Student / studente
Class – clase / classe / Klasse / classe
Lesson – lección / leçon / Lektion / lezione
Camera – cámara / caméra / Kamera / telecamera
Photo – foto / photo / Foto / foto
Problem – problema / problème / Problem / problema
Alcohol – alcohol / alcool / Alkohol / alcol

Learn Spanish, French , German and Italian to converse freely and fluently in the respective languages. Non-native English speakers have the option to learn English too. Business English is also available for those who want to sound more professional in business settings. Click on the link below.