Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ahead' is more than just a simple preposition in the English language. It signifies progress, movement, and the very essence of striving to improve and advance. From a cultural perspective, 'ahead' represents the human spirit's unyielding desire to push boundaries and explore new horizons. This is evident in the countless stories of exploration, innovation, and discovery that have shaped human history.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'ahead' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique perspectives and cultural nuances of various societies around the world. For instance, in Spanish, 'ahead' translates to 'adelante,' which also means 'forward' or 'onward,' reflecting the language's rich history of conquest and expansion.
In German, 'ahead' is 'voraus,' which can also mean 'in advance' or 'beforehand,' highlighting the language's emphasis on precision and planning. Meanwhile, in Chinese, 'ahead' is '向前,' which literally means 'toward the front,' reflecting the language's deep roots in philosophy and metaphysics.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply someone looking to expand your vocabulary, learning the translation of 'ahead' in different languages is a fascinating journey of discovery.
Afrikaans | vorentoe | ||
"Vorentoe" is derived from the Dutch "vooruit", which can also mean "progress" or "advancement". | |||
Amharic | ወደፊት | ||
The word "ወደፊት" also means "progress" or "forward motion". | |||
Hausa | gaba | ||
The Hausa verb 'gaba' is also used to mean 'go out' in the sense of leaving something behind, like exiting a house or departing on a journey. | |||
Igbo | n'ihu | ||
"N'ihu" also means "forehead" or "front", highlighting how language can shape our understanding of space and perception. | |||
Malagasy | mialoha | ||
Mialoha' is cognate with the Malay word 'dihulu', meaning 'former' or 'foremost', and the Indonesian word 'dahulu', meaning 'before' or 'in advance'. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | patsogolo | ||
Patsogolo is derived from the verb 'patsogoleranji' meaning 'to go out ahead of others'. | |||
Shona | mberi | ||
Shona word 'mberi' is derived from Proto-Bantu *mpéɾi, meaning 'above' or 'early'. | |||
Somali | hore | ||
The word "hore" also means "to the front" and "frontwards" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | pele | ||
The word 'pele' in Sesotho also refers to the forehead or a cliff. | |||
Swahili | mbele | ||
Mbele can also mean 'front', 'forehead', or 'future'. | |||
Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
The word "ngaphambili" in Xhosa can also mean "at the front" or "in the future". | |||
Yoruba | niwaju | ||
The word "niwaju" in Yoruba also means "in front of" or "before." | |||
Zulu | phambili | ||
The Zulu word "phambili" is cognate with the Xhosa word "phambili," also meaning "ahead." | |||
Bambara | ɲɛ fɛ | ||
Ewe | le ŋgɔ | ||
Kinyarwanda | imbere | ||
Lingala | liboso | ||
Luganda | mu maaso | ||
Sepedi | pele | ||
Twi (Akan) | anim | ||
Arabic | امام | ||
The word "إمام" (imam) in Arabic also means "leader" or "model," derived from the root word "مم" (amma), meaning "to lead" or "to be in front." | |||
Hebrew | קָדִימָה | ||
From the root קדם meaning "east," קדימה literally means "towards the east" and conveys a sense of progress or movement in a forward direction. | |||
Pashto | مخکی | ||
مخکی is also used to express 'progress' or 'forward movement' in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | امام | ||
The word "إمام" (imam) in Arabic also means "leader" or "model," derived from the root word "مم" (amma), meaning "to lead" or "to be in front." |
Albanian | përpara | ||
The word "përpara" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "per-", meaning "forward" or "through." | |||
Basque | aurretik | ||
"Aurrerik" likely derives from Latin "*antero" with the suffix "-rik" indicating "at the front of". | |||
Catalan | endavant | ||
"Endavant" also means "forwards", "upwards" or "onwards" in Catalan. | |||
Croatian | naprijed | ||
"Naprijed" can mean "progress" or "forward" in addition to "ahead". | |||
Danish | foran | ||
The word "foran" in Danish can also mean "in front of" or "before". | |||
Dutch | verder | ||
In the past, "verder" was also commonly used in the meanings "future," "more," "further," or "forthcoming" | |||
English | ahead | ||
The word "ahead" derives from the Old English word "æthead," meaning "head" or "source." | |||
French | devant | ||
The word "devant" comes from the Latin "de ante," which means "from before." | |||
Frisian | foarút | ||
The Frisian word “foarút” is derived from Proto-West-Germanic *furthi that developed into English “forth” and West Frisian “foart”. | |||
Galician | adiante | ||
The word "adiante" in Galician comes from the Latin "adde ante", meaning "to add before". | |||
German | voraus | ||
Voraus comes from the Middle High German "vür" (before) and the Old High German "us" (out). | |||
Icelandic | framundan | ||
The Icelandic word "framundan" is derived from the Old Norse "frammundan," meaning "forward" or "ahead." | |||
Irish | amach romhainn | ||
This term can also signify "the front" or "the presence of" in Irish. | |||
Italian | avanti | ||
"Avanti" is derived from the Latin "ab ante" (from before) and can also refer to "onwards, forward, continue, go on, or make progress". | |||
Luxembourgish | viraus | ||
The word "viraus" also means "towards" and comes from the French word "vers". | |||
Maltese | quddiem | ||
The word "quddiem" is derived from the Arabic word "quddām" which means "before" or "in front of". | |||
Norwegian | fremover | ||
Fremover is also a name for a newspaper in Narvik, Norway. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | adiante | ||
The word "adiante" comes from the Latin "ad de ante", meaning "in front of" or "before". It can also refer to "the future" or "the next thing in order". | |||
Scots Gaelic | air thoiseach | ||
In Scots Gaelic, the word "air thoiseach" can also mean "forward" or "in advance". | |||
Spanish | adelante | ||
The term "adelante" can also refer to "progress," "improvement" or "growth" depending on the context. | |||
Swedish | ett huvud | ||
In Swedish, "ett huvud" not only refers to a head but also implies "in the lead" or "first in line." | |||
Welsh | o'n blaenau | ||
The Welsh word "o'n blaenau" also means "to the east" or "to the top of the mountain". |
Belarusian | наперадзе | ||
"перад" part comes from the Proto-Slavic word *perdъ denoting the front side of something | |||
Bosnian | naprijed | ||
The word "naprijed" also means "from now on" and "henceforth" in Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | напред | ||
The word "напред" can also mean "forward" or "onward" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | vpřed | ||
The Czech word "vpřed" also means "forward" and is related to the word "pravý" (right), indicating its original meaning of "straight ahead". | |||
Estonian | ees | ||
'Ees' is cognate with the Finnish word 'eteen' and the Hungarian word 'előre' meaning 'in fron of' or 'before'. | |||
Finnish | eteenpäin | ||
The word "eteenpäin" derives from the word "eteen" (in front of) and the directional suffix "-päin" (towards), thus literally meaning "towards the front" | |||
Hungarian | előre | ||
The word "előre" also means "in advance" and can be used as an adverb or noun. | |||
Latvian | priekšā | ||
In Latvian, "priekšā" also means "in front of," "before," and "in the presence of." | |||
Lithuanian | priekyje | ||
The word "priekyje" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *prei-, meaning "before" or "in front of". | |||
Macedonian | напред | ||
The word "напред" also means "progress" and "forward" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | przed siebie | ||
"Przed siebie" in Polish also indicates a sense of determination, a strong will to move forward in time or space. | |||
Romanian | înainte | ||
The word "înainte" is derived from the Latin word "ante" and can also mean "in front of" or "before". | |||
Russian | впереди | ||
The word "впереди" also means "in front" or "in the lead" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | напред | ||
The word "напред" is also used metaphorically to mean "progress" or "advancement". | |||
Slovak | dopredu | ||
The word "dopredu" can also mean "forward" or "straight on". | |||
Slovenian | naprej | ||
"Naprej" can also be used figuratively to talk about future or progress. | |||
Ukrainian | попереду | ||
The Russian word "вперёд" (vpered) comes from the Old Russian word "передь" (pered), which means "before" or "in front of." |
Bengali | এগিয়ে | ||
এগিয়ে (eghiye) can also mean 'progress' or 'advancement'. | |||
Gujarati | આગળ | ||
"આગળ" (ahead) in Gujarati also means "forward" or "in front". | |||
Hindi | आगे | ||
In Sanskrit, "आगे" (āge) primarily meant "in front," but it also had connotations of "first," "prior," and "formerly." | |||
Kannada | ಮುಂದೆ | ||
The word "ಮುಂದೆ" can also mean "in front" or "before" in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | മുന്നിലാണ് | ||
മുന്നിലാണ് can also mean 'forthcoming' or 'approaching' in the context of time, while in the context of space it can mean 'in front' or 'at the front'. | |||
Marathi | पुढे | ||
पुढे also means 'forward', 'onwards', 'in front', 'forth', 'before', 'further', 'moreover', 'besides', 'subsequently', 'hereafter'. | |||
Nepali | अगाडि | ||
The word 'अगाडि' (ahead) in Nepali also means 'in front' or 'before'. | |||
Punjabi | ਅੱਗੇ | ||
The word 'ਅੱਗੇ' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ag- ('to drive') and shares cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉදිරියෙන් | ||
Tamil | முன்னால் | ||
The word "முன்னால்" can also mean "before" or "in front of" in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | ముందుకు | ||
The word can also be translated as forward, onward, and ahead of time | |||
Urdu | آگے | ||
آگے also refers to a person who is in front, leading the way, or at the head of something. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 先 | ||
先 can mean "first" and is the root of many compounds such as 先锋 (vanguard), 先见 (foresight), and 先天 (innate). | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 先 | ||
'先' in Chinese also refers to 'the past' and 'the deceased', which is related to 'first' in both time and space. | |||
Japanese | 先に | ||
The kanji "先" in "先に" also means "tip" or "point" as in the word "鉛筆の先" (pencil tip). | |||
Korean | 앞으로 | ||
"앞" is a directional root that means both "front" and "future," and the suffix "-으로" indicates a direction, resulting in "toward the front" as well as "toward the future". | |||
Mongolian | урагшаа | ||
The word 'урагшаа' literally means 'in front of the head' | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှေ့ | ||
"ရှေ့" can also refer to the front of something or a position in front of something. |
Indonesian | di depan | ||
"Di depan" literally means "in front," but it also means "future." | |||
Javanese | ndhisiki | ||
The word "ndhisiki" in Javanese has multiple meanings, including "the first" and "the most important". | |||
Khmer | នៅពេលខាងមុខ | ||
Lao | ກ່ອນກ່ອນເວລາ | ||
Malay | ke hadapan | ||
The Malay word for 'ahead' or 'in front' (ke hadapan) also has a metaphorical meaning referring to 'progress' or 'advancement'. | |||
Thai | ข้างหน้า | ||
"ข้างหน้า" (ahead) comes from the word "ข้าง" (side) and the word "หน้า" (face), meaning "towards the front". | |||
Vietnamese | phía trước | ||
Phía trước (ahead) means the front side of something or the direction in which one is moving. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa unahan | ||
Azerbaijani | qabaqda | ||
"Qabaqda" derives from the Old Turkic word "qabas", meaning "in front of" | |||
Kazakh | алда | ||
"Алда" is derived from the word "алды" (before, in front), which is in turn derived from the Proto-Turkic word *aldı* (front, forward). | |||
Kyrgyz | алдыда | ||
The word "алдыда" can also mean "in front of" or "before". | |||
Tajik | пеш | ||
Tajik "пеш" comes from Persian "پیش" meaning "in front," as in Russian "пешеход" (pedestrian, literally "going in front"). | |||
Turkmen | öňde | ||
Uzbek | oldinda | ||
The word "oldinda" in Uzbek can also mean "in front of" or "facing". | |||
Uyghur | ئالدىدا | ||
Hawaiian | i mua | ||
In Hawaiian, the word "i mua" can also mean "to progress" or "to move forward." | |||
Maori | i mua | ||
The word "i mua" in Māori also translates to "in front of" and "before". | |||
Samoan | i luma | ||
The word "i luma" is also used to refer to the front of a house or building. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sa unahan | ||
"Sa unahan" literally means "at the earlier" or "first in order" in Tagalog. |
Aymara | nayraru | ||
Guarani | tenonde | ||
Esperanto | antaŭen | ||
"Antaŭen" is composed of "antaŭ" (before, in front of) and "-en" (direction towards). | |||
Latin | praemisit | ||
"Praemisit" also means to send forward, dispatch, or transmit. |
Greek | εμπρός | ||
The word "εμπρός" can also mean "forward," "onward," or "forth." | |||
Hmong | uantej | ||
The word 'uantej' can mean either 'ahead' or 'in front of'. | |||
Kurdish | pêşve | ||
Although "pêşve" means "ahead", it is also "uncle" in some Kurdish dialects. | |||
Turkish | önde | ||
The word "önde" also means "forehead" in Turkish, derived from the Proto-Turkic word *ön*, meaning "front". | |||
Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
The word "ngaphambili" in Xhosa can also mean "at the front" or "in the future". | |||
Yiddish | פאָרויס | ||
In Yiddish, "פאָרויס" derives from Middle High German "vore" and can also mean "forward," "in the future," or "advantage." | |||
Zulu | phambili | ||
The Zulu word "phambili" is cognate with the Xhosa word "phambili," also meaning "ahead." | |||
Assamese | সময়তকৈ আগত | ||
Aymara | nayraru | ||
Bhojpuri | आगे | ||
Dhivehi | ކުރިޔަށް | ||
Dogri | अग्गें | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa unahan | ||
Guarani | tenonde | ||
Ilocano | nauna | ||
Krio | bifo | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لەپێش | ||
Maithili | आगू | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯥꯡ ꯊꯥꯅ | ||
Mizo | hmalam | ||
Oromo | gara fuulduraatti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଆଗକୁ | ||
Quechua | ñawpaq | ||
Sanskrit | अग्रे | ||
Tatar | алда | ||
Tigrinya | ኣብ ቅድሚት | ||
Tsonga | emahlweni | ||