Obliga

Obliga is a present-tense form of several Romance-language verbs that express the idea of forcing or requiring someone to do something. In Spanish and Catalan, obliga is the third-person singular present indicative of obligar, meaning “he/she/it obliges” or, with a subject pronoun, “you (formal) oblige.” The form commonly occurs in legal, regulatory, and everyday contexts, especially in constructions such as la ley obliga a pagar impuestos (the law obliges you to pay taxes).

Origin and cognates: the verb derives from Latin obligare, formed from ob- (toward, against) and ligare (to bind), hence the sense of binding someone by obligation. Related words include obligación (obligation) and obligado (obliged). In other Romance languages, closely related verbs exist with the same root; for example Portuguese uses a cognate verb obr ig ar (obrigar) with a similar meaning and forms.

Usage notes: obliga is a finite verb form and not a standalone noun. The exact spelling and usage can vary by language; in Spanish, the infinitive is obligar, and in Portuguese the common form is obrigar. The meaning can range from legal obligation to moral or social compulsion, depending on context.