Tell me more ×
Spanish Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Spanish language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 11 down vote favorite
2

What's the history of the words contigo, conmigo, etc?

They're treated like contractions for con ti and con mi, respectively, but they actually make the word longer rather than shorter, as contractions ought to do.

It occurs to me that there are a whole host of other words in Spanish that have similar spellings and functions (amigo, enemigo, etc) , how do they fit into this puzzle?

Are ti and mi shortened versions of previously used pronouns tigo and migo, or something? This would make the meaning of amigo clear: a- (not) migo (me)

share|improve this question
Not worthy of its own answer but - the two first Google results for "conmigo etimología" point to the same direction: the latin form mecum. – vemv Nov 15 '11 at 22:04
I believe it's in part a vestigial remnant of Latin's case system. – hippietrail Nov 16 '11 at 13:04

2 Answers

up vote 9 down vote accepted

A good answer here in Spanish. Basically, in latin it was said mecum = me + cum (mí + con). The cum was being lost to a go (migo). To reinforce the lost con it was added at the beginning: con+_migo_ = conmigo

share|improve this answer
up vote 4 down vote

They are not contractions because there is not a "long form" to say the same. Conti and conmi do not exist.

They come from latin:

  • cum: with
  • mecum: with me
  • tecum: with you

Amigo and enemigo come from latin too (amicus, inimicus) but I think they are not related to mecum.

share|improve this answer
And I'm positive "contraction" has such a fixed definition. I'll have to look it up. – hippietrail Nov 16 '11 at 13:17

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.