The Spanish traer, meaning “to bring,” comes from the Latin trahere, meaning “to drag.”

From the Latin root, we also get a few related English words that aren’t obvious at first glance:

• Tractor: What is a tractor if not a machine that brings or drags machinery around the plot of farmland?
• Traction: What is traction if not something moving so quickly that it drags everyone else up along with it?

Note that the -h- vanished when the Latin turned into Spanish but became a -ct- when the Latin became English. Thus the t-r-[nothing] of traer maps to the t-r-ct of the English words.

Vez (Spanish for “turn (in a line/queue)”, as in “next in line”) comes from the Latin for the same: vicis.

From this root vicis we get a few English words, including:

• Vice-Versa — versa (“against”), literally means, “it’s your turn against him!”
• Vicissitude — thought about this way, vicissitudes are really just people taking turns back and forth, right?
• Vice — as in “Vice President”. He whose turn is next!
• Vicarious — it’s someone else’s turn instead of yours!
• Vicar — he’s really just the guy whose turn it is to substitute for the real priest!

The v-c root is visible in all variations.

Plumber comes from the Latin plumbum, for “lead.” A plumber originally meant someone who works with (particularly smelts) lead. These men, over time, worked mostly with pipes (made of lead!) and eventually dealt more and more with the pipes that carry water into (or out of) homes and buildings. So lead workers became plumbers.

Interestingly, the Spanish for “lead” (plomo) comes from the same Latin root. We can see the pl-m root in words in both languages.

Padecer (Spanish for “to suffer”) comes from the Latin pati, meaning, “to suffer.” From that same root, we get the English… passion.

Yes, by definition, passion necessarily entails suffering.  Doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know about love?

The Spanish cara (“head”) comes from the same Latin word (cara), also meaning the same, “head.”

From that Latin, we get the English cheer (via French’s chere). Thus, the ch-r of cheer maps to the c-r of cara.

A face — after all — is the most human thing intended to make us thankful (to cheers a toast!) for life. And most faces fill us with enough happiness to make us cheerful!

Suelo is Spanish for “floor” although it is not too common (piso is the more common word). But, very common is subsuelo — the sub-floor, that is: the basement.

This is, unexpectedly, related to a few English words.

Suelo comes from the Latin solum, meaning “ground.”

From solum, we get two English words:

First, soil — yes, the soil is what is on the ground below you!

Second, sole — as in the sole of your shoe. This, too, is below you as you walk.

In all, we clearly see the s-l root staying consistent.