Ago in different languages

Ago in Different Languages

Discover 'Ago' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'ago' is a small but powerful term that helps us understand the concept of time and its passage. It holds great significance in our daily conversations and written communications as it allows us to express when an event occurred in relation to the present moment.

The word 'ago' has also made its mark in various cultures and languages around the world. Its translation can provide insight into how different cultures perceive and express time. For instance, in Spanish, 'ago' is translated as 'hace' while in French, it is 'il y a'.

Moreover, understanding the translation of 'ago' in different languages can be useful in a variety of situations. Whether you're traveling, studying a new language, or simply looking to expand your cultural knowledge, knowing the equivalent term in other languages can be a valuable tool.

So, without further ado, here are some translations of the word 'ago' in different languages, from the commonly spoken to the more obscure.

Ago


Ago in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansgelede
The Afrikaans word "gelede" can also mean "layer" or "strata".
Amharicበፊት
The word "በፊት" can also mean "before" or "in front of".
Hausada suka wuce
The Hausa word "da suka wuce" can trace its roots back to the phrase "da ya wuce" meaning "the day that passed".
Igbogara aga
The term 'gara aga' in Igbo is also used to refer to a distant unspecified time in the past.
Malagasylasa izay
The word "lasa izay" can also mean "already" or "before" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)zapitazo
The word "zapitazo" can also refer to a sudden or unexpected event, such as a sudden change in weather or a sudden influx of people.
Shonaapfuura
"Apfuura" is derived from the Shona verb "kupfuura" (to pass) and refers to a time that has passed.
Somalihore
The word "hore" also means "past" or "formerly" and is related to the Arabic word "har"
Sesothofetileng
Fetileng can also mean 'recently' and is used to describe past events that are still relevant to the present.
Swahiliiliyopita
The word "iliyopita" in Swahili can also mean "the past" or "a previous time".
Xhosaeyadlulayo
Xhosa "eyadlulayo" is cognate to the Zulu and Swati words for yesterday.
Yorubasẹyin
"Sẹyin" (ago) can also mean "in the future" or "sometime in the past," depending on context.
Zuluedlule
The Zulu word "edlule" can also refer to a time period, such as a month or a year.
Bambaraa bɛ wagati bɔ
Ewesi va yi
Kinyarwandakera
Lingalaeleki
Lugandaedda
Sepedifetilego
Twi (Akan)atwam

Ago in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمنذ
The Arabic word "منذ" "mndh" can mean "ever since", "from", and "during or since""
Hebrewלִפנֵי
"לִפנֵי" (lifnei) is cognate with the Akkadian word *lepnu* meaning "before".
Pashtoمخکې
The Pashto word "مخکې" also signifies preceding events without temporal relation.
Arabicمنذ
The Arabic word "منذ" "mndh" can mean "ever since", "from", and "during or since""

Ago in Western European Languages

Albanianmë parë
The Albanian word "më parë" also means "before" and "previously".
Basqueduela
The Basque word "duela" can also refer to the time "before" or "previously"
Catalanfa
The word "fa", meaning "ago", derives from the Latin word "facere," which means "to do" or "to make."
Croatianprije
Prije originally meant 'in earlier times', and derived from 'prěti' meaning 'to cross' (a point in time).
Danishsiden
The Danish word "siden" can also mean "since" in English.
Dutchgeleden
"Geleden" originally meant "gone by" or "passed away".
Englishago
The word 'ago' originates from the Old English word 'āgān', meaning 'gone by' or 'past'.
Frenchdepuis
The French word "depuis" comes from the Latin preposition "de post", meaning "from behind" or "after". It has since been used to express a point in time in the past.
Frisianlyn
It is cognate with the English word "since" and the German word "längst".
Galicianhai
Its alternate form in Portuguese is still used in some Galician varieties, while the Castilian term "hace" appears in some fixed phrases.
Germanvor
The word "vor" can also mean "in front of" or "before" in terms of location or time.
Icelandicsíðan
"Síðan" derives from the verb "síða" meaning "to filter" or "to strain", as time can be perceived as a filtering process.
Irishó shin
The Irish word 'ó shin' ('ago') is derived from the Old Irish phrase 'ó sin' ('from now') and can also refer to 'a while back' or 'recently'.
Italianfa
The word "fa" in Italian derives from the Latin expression "facere habeo," meaning "I have to do" and has also been used in the past to mean "time ago."
Luxembourgishvirun
"Virun" is derived from the Old High German "furan", meaning "before", and also has the alternate meaning of "in front of" in Luxembourgish.
Malteseilu
"Ilu" also means "formerly" in Maltese.
Norwegiansiden
The word "siden" can also mean "on the side" or "since then".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)atrás
The Portuguese word "atrás" also means "behind" or "in the back".
Scots Gaelicair ais
The word "air ais" can also mean "at a distance" or "afar off" in Scots Gaelic.
Spanishhace
The term 'hace', translating to 'ago', derives from Latin 'facere' (to make or do) via old Spanish 'faze'.
Swedishsedan
The Swedish word "sedan" can also mean "since" or "later".
Welshyn ôl
The Welsh word 'yn ôl' can also mean 'back' or 'behind' in a spatial sense.

Ago in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianтаму
The Belarusian word "таму" can also mean "there" and is related to the Russian word "там".
Bosnianprije
Bosnian "prije" comes from a Proto-Slavic root and is cognate with the words "pry" in English, "pryč" in Czech and "pre" in Italian.
Bulgarianпреди
The word "преди" can also mean "before" or "in front of" in Bulgarian.
Czechpřed
The word "před" also means "in front" or "before" in a spatial sense.
Estoniantagasi
The phrase 'taga ajada' (literally, 'drive behind'), also uses 'taga' to mean 'behind' in a time frame.
Finnishsitten
Sitten on useita merkityksiä, esimerkiksi 'sijainti' tai 'tapa'.
Hungarianezelőtt
The word "ezelőtt" also means "previously" or "before" in Hungarian.
Latvianpirms
"Pirms" is also a form of "prim", meaning "first" or "primary", related to Latin "primus" (first).
Lithuanianprieš
The Lithuanian word "prieš" also means "in front of" or "before".
Macedonianпред
The word "пред" in Macedonian can also be used to mean "in front of" or "in the presence of."
Polishtemu
The word "temu" can also mean "in the past" or "in times gone by".
Romanianîn urmă
Literal translation of "în urmă" is "in back" or "in the back", which is a very descriptive way of talking about the past since it positions it as behind us.
Russianтому назад
"Тому назад" (ago) is an archaic Russian expression that literally means "that way back" when translated word-for-word. Nowadays, however, it usually carries the meaning of "some time ago".
Serbianпре
The Serbian word "пре" is derived from the Proto-Slavic preposition *per, meaning "over" or "through."
Slovakpred
The word "pred" can also mean "before" or "in front of".
Sloveniannazaj
The word 'nazaj' is also used to describe the location 'behind' something in Slovenian.
Ukrainianтому
The Ukrainian word тому, meaning "ago," also means "therefore" in other Slavic languages.

Ago in South Asian Languages

Bengaliআগে
The Bengali word "আগে" can also refer to "front", "forehead", or "before".
Gujaratiપહેલાં
The Gujarati word "પહેલાં" can also mean "previously" or "at first".
Hindiपूर्व
The word "पूर्व" can also mean "east" or "former" in Hindi.
Kannadaಹಿಂದೆ
The word 'ಹಿಂದೆ' also means 'back' or 'behind', and it can refer to a point in time or to a physical location.
Malayalamമുമ്പ്
The Malayalam word "മുമ്പ്" can also refer to "formerly," "previously" or "before" in addition to expressing time lapsed in the past.
Marathiपूर्वी
The Marathi word "पूर्वी" meaning "ago" originates from Sanskrit "पूर्व" meaning "earlier" or "eastward".
Nepaliपहिले
Nepali word "पहिले" also denotes ancient times
Punjabiਪਹਿਲਾਂ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)පෙර
The word "පෙර" can also mean "before" or "in the past".
Tamilமுன்பு
The Tamil word "முன்பு" can also mean "before" or "previously".
Teluguక్రితం
Telugu word "క్రితం" means "ago" in English and "a short time passed" in Kannada.
Urduپہلے
The Urdu word "پہلے" is cognate to the Sanskrit word "prathamay", which also means "first" or "in the first place."

Ago in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
前 can also mean 'in front of', 'anterior', 'previous', 'former', or 'front' in Chinese.
Chinese (Traditional)
前 can also mean 'front' or 'fore-' in the sense of 'in front of' or 'before' something else.
Japanese
"前" (zen) also means "front" in Japanese, reflecting the idea that time flows forward.
Korean...전에
The word "전에" can also mean "before" or "in the past".
Mongolianөмнө
Өмнө, meaning 'the south/the front,' is cognate with Turkic *ön 'front, before,' and Hungarian én 'self.'
Myanmar (Burmese)လွန်ခဲ့သော

Ago in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianlalu
In addition to meaning "ago," "lalu" also means "passed by," "elapsed," or "gone by."
Javanesekepungkur
In Javanese, the word "kepungkur" has the same root as "pungkur" (back), indicating a connection between time and spatial orientation.
Khmerមុន
មុន has roots in Old Khmer and Mon, and originally meant "yesterday"/"first".
Laoກ່ອນຫນ້ານີ້
"ກ່ອນຫນ້ານີ້" is similar to the English phrase "before this" in terms of meaning and usage, but it can also be used in a more general sense to refer to the past, similar to the English word "ago."
Malayyang lalu
The word "yang lalu" in Malay combines the definite article "yang" with the verb "lalu" meaning "pass". It can also refer to the past or to a previous event.
Thaiที่ผ่านมา
The Thai word ที่ผ่านมา can also mean "past" or "previously."
Vietnamesetrước đây
"Trước đây" is a set phrase that literally means "in front of this".
Filipino (Tagalog)kanina

Ago in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniəvvəl
Əvvəl is historically related to the Persian word
Kazakhбұрын
The word "бұрын" can also mean "previously" or "former".
Kyrgyzмурун
The Kyrgyz word "мурун" also signifies the front part or top tip of an animal
Tajikпеш
"Пеш" (ago) in Tajik can also refer to "foot" or "step".
Turkmenozal
Uzbekoldin
"Oldin" in Uzbek literally means "before" and can also refer to a specific time period in the past.
Uyghurago

Ago in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiani hala aku nei
The word 'i hala aku nei' literally means 'passed over the trail' in Hawaiian.
Maorii mua
The word "i mua" comes from the Maori word "mu" meaning "before", and is also used to describe a position in front of or ahead of something in space or time.
Samoantalu ai
This expression can also be used to reference an action that will happen very soon.
Tagalog (Filipino)nakaraan
"Nakaraan" originally meant "past events" or "history" in Tagalog.

Ago in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraqhipa
Guaranikupe

Ago in International Languages

Esperantoantaŭ
Etymology: from Slavic "prědъ", "pred" (before) or "odъ" "ot" (from).
Latinante
In Classical Latin, "ante" can also mean "before" in space and time, or "in front of".

Ago in Others Languages

Greekπριν
The word "πριν" can also mean "before" or "in front of".
Hmongdhau los
The Hmong word "dhau los" ("ago") is likely derived from the Chinese word "dào liǎo" ("arrived").
Kurdishpêşî
The word "pêşî" in Kurdish also means "front" or "beginning".
Turkishönce
"Önce" can mean "first" as an adverb, as in "önce yap bunu" (do this first).
Xhosaeyadlulayo
Xhosa "eyadlulayo" is cognate to the Zulu and Swati words for yesterday.
Yiddishצוריק
The Yiddish word "צוריק" "tsurik" is likely borrowed from the German word "zurück" "back", but its meaning is more extended than the German word and more akin to the English word "ago".
Zuluedlule
The Zulu word "edlule" can also refer to a time period, such as a month or a year.
Assameseআগতে
Aymaraqhipa
Bhojpuriपहिले
Dhivehiކުރިން
Dogriपैहलें
Filipino (Tagalog)kanina
Guaranikupe
Ilocanoidi
Kriotrade
Kurdish (Sorani)لەمەوبەر
Maithiliपहिने
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯃꯃꯥꯡꯗ
Mizokal ta
Oromodura
Odia (Oriya)ପୂର୍ବରୁ
Quechuañawpaq
Sanskritपूर्व
Tatarэлек
Tigrinyaቕድሚ
Tsongakhale

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter