Always in Different Languages
Discover 'Always' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'always' holds a special place in our hearts and languages, signifying consistency, reliability, and unwavering commitment. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it is a fundamental part of our daily conversations and expressions. Have you ever pondered how 'always' translates in other languages? Understanding this can enrich your cultural experiences and broaden your linguistic abilities.
For instance, in Spanish, 'always' is 'siempre', while in French, it's 'toujours'. In German, it's 'immer', and in Japanese, it's 'いつも' (itsumo). These translations not only provide a glimpse into the language's structure but also offer insights into the cultural contexts where they are spoken.
Delving into the translations of 'always' can be a fascinating journey, opening doors to understanding the nuances of different languages and cultures. So, let's embark on this journey together and explore how 'always' is conveyed in various languages around the world.
Always
Always in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | altyd | ||
| "Altyd", the equivalent of "always" in English is derived from the Middle Dutch word "altijt", which literally meant "all times". The "a-", however, is no longer present in modern Dutch, but is still preserved in some of its daughter language, including Afrikaans and German. | |||
| Amharic | ሁል ጊዜ | ||
| The word "ሁል ጊዜ" can also mean "all the time" or "continually". | |||
| Hausa | koyaushe | ||
| The Hausa word 'koyaushe' is linked to the Kunama verb 'ku-a' and the Maba verb 'a-gu', both meaning to remain. | |||
| Igbo | mgbe niile | ||
| Mgbe niile, which translates as "always" in the Igbo language, can also be used to express the idea of "at any time". | |||
| Malagasy | foana | ||
| "Foana" derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian "*puna", meaning "again" or "again and again". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthawi zonse | ||
| Alternate meanings for 'nthawi zonse' include 'every time' and 'all the time'. | |||
| Shona | nguva dzose | ||
| The word 'nguva dzose' is also used to refer to the concept of 'every time' or 'constantly'. | |||
| Somali | had iyo jeer | ||
| The Somali word "had iyo jeer" is a compound word, composed of "had" (past) and "jeer" (time), likely referring to a time that has already come and gone, connoting perpetuity. | |||
| Sesotho | kamehla | ||
| In addition to "always," kamehla can also mean "forever" or "eternally" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kila mara | ||
| The word "kila mara" can also be used to mean "every time" or "on every occasion". | |||
| Xhosa | njalo | ||
| The word 'njalo' can also refer to regularity. | |||
| Yoruba | nigbagbogbo | ||
| "Nigbagbogbo" is originally a noun meaning "a whole". Its usage as an adverb is derived from its noun meaning.} | |||
| Zulu | njalo | ||
| The word 'njalo' can also be used to indicate 'at once' or 'continuously'. | |||
| Bambara | tuma bɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɣe sia ɣi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | burigihe | ||
| Lingala | ntango nyonso | ||
| Luganda | buli kaseera | ||
| Sepedi | ka mehla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | berɛ biara | ||
Always in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دائما | ||
| The word "دائما" can also mean "ever" or "at all times" in addition to "always". | |||
| Hebrew | תמיד | ||
| תמיד also means "eternally" in Hebrew and comes from the word "תמם" ("tamem") meaning "complete". | |||
| Pashto | تل | ||
| Alternate meaning: a hill, mound or small mountain. | |||
| Arabic | دائما | ||
| The word "دائما" can also mean "ever" or "at all times" in addition to "always". | |||
Always in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjithmone | ||
| Gjithmone in Albanian is akin to the Sanskrit phrase 'sadā sarva-kālam', which translates to 'all times, every time'. | |||
| Basque | beti | ||
| The Basque word 'beti' also means 'all' and is used to form adverbs, such as 'betik' (always) and 'behetik' (underneath). | |||
| Catalan | sempre | ||
| Catalan "sempre" derives from Latin "semper" but can also mean "at any time". | |||
| Croatian | stalno | ||
| The word "stalno" also means "regularly" or "constantly" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | altid | ||
| The Danish word "altid" is cognate with the German "allzeit" (always/at all times) and "elda" (ancient/old) in Old Norse. | |||
| Dutch | altijd | ||
| The word “altijd” also refers to “a lifetime, an epoch” in a historic sense. | |||
| English | always | ||
| The word "always" is derived from the Old English word "eallwege," which means "all ways" or "at all times." | |||
| French | toujours | ||
| The word "toujours" in French does not come from the Latin semper as might be expected, but rather from the Middle French phrase "tous les jours" | |||
| Frisian | altyd | ||
| The Frisian word "altyd" can also mean "completely" or "in all circumstances". | |||
| Galician | sempre | ||
| Sempre can also mean "for now" or even "this year" in Galician. | |||
| German | immer | ||
| The name of the town Immer originated from the Proto-Germanic word "*imra" (lake). | |||
| Icelandic | alltaf | ||
| The word "alltaf" shares its stem with the word "allt" meaning "everything" and in the genitive or accusative plural is also used to mean "always". | |||
| Irish | i gcónaí | ||
| Italian | sempre | ||
| Oltre al significato di "sempre", "sempre" può anche significare "di nuovo" o "ancora". | |||
| Luxembourgish | ëmmer | ||
| In old Luxembourgish, "ëmmer" also referred to a kind of wheat grown and used for baking bread. | |||
| Maltese | dejjem | ||
| The Maltese word "dejjem" derives from the Arabic word "da'iman", which means "eternally". | |||
| Norwegian | alltid | ||
| The word 'alltid' stems from 'all' (age) + 'tid' (time), referring to every age or time. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sempre | ||
| "Sempre" is derived from the Latin "semper," meaning "constantly" or "without end." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an-còmhnaidh | ||
| An alternative meaning of the word "an-còmhnaidh" is "a dwelling", and comes from the Proto-Celtic root *kombi, meaning "crooked" or "bent", in reference to the roof trusses that form a dwelling's framework. | |||
| Spanish | siempre | ||
| The word "siempre" derives from the Latin word "semper" meaning "continuously". | |||
| Swedish | alltid | ||
| The word "alltid" comes from the Old Norse word "allr" meaning "entire". | |||
| Welsh | bob amser | ||
| The Welsh phrase "bob amser" also means "any time" and "all the time". | |||
Always in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | заўсёды | ||
| "Заўсёды" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vьsьdь, meaning "at every time, all the time". | |||
| Bosnian | uvijek | ||
| The etymology of the word "uvijek" is unclear, but it is thought to be related to the Slavic word "veky" meaning "age" or "time." | |||
| Bulgarian | винаги | ||
| Bulgarian "винаги" ultimately derives from Old Church Slavonic words meaning "at every time." | |||
| Czech | vždy | ||
| Vždy is cognate with 'vezda' ('everywhere') and originally meant 'in all ways'. | |||
| Estonian | alati | ||
| The word "alati" derives from the Proto-Uralic word *ale" meaning "ever". It can also mean "in good time", and is used in this sense in expressions like "alati valmis" ("always ready"). | |||
| Finnish | aina | ||
| The word "aina" in Finnish can also refer to "eternally" or "constantly." | |||
| Hungarian | mindig | ||
| In Hungarian, "mindig" is derived from the root "minde" meaning "every" and "ig" meaning "time" or "occasion." | |||
| Latvian | vienmēr | ||
| The word "vienmēr" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *wiən, meaning "time". | |||
| Lithuanian | visada | ||
| The etymology of the Lithuanian word "visada" ("always") is uncertain, but it may be related to the word "visas" ("all"). | |||
| Macedonian | секогаш | ||
| The word "секогаш" is derived from the Slavic root "seg", meaning "this" or "now". | |||
| Polish | zawsze | ||
| The word "zawsze" in Polish means both "always" and "continuously". | |||
| Romanian | mereu | ||
| The adverb "mereu" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "mьrъvъ" meaning "mortal", "eternal", or "ceaseless". | |||
| Russian | всегда | ||
| "Всегда" is derived from "все" (all) and "гда" (when), meaning "at all times". | |||
| Serbian | увек | ||
| The Serbian word "увек" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vьsьkъdy, meaning "everywhere". | |||
| Slovak | vždy | ||
| "vždy" can also mean "eternally" or "at all times". | |||
| Slovenian | nenehno | ||
| In the archaic language of some Slovenian dialects, "nenehno" could also have meant "very" or "completely". | |||
| Ukrainian | завжди | ||
| "Завжди" is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic word "въжди" (vъždi), meaning "later" or "immediately." | |||
Always in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সর্বদা | ||
| The word "সর্বদা" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सर्वदा," which also means "always". | |||
| Gujarati | હંમેશા | ||
| The word "હંમેશા" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सहमेव" (saha + eva), meaning "with" and "only" respectively, and signifies constant companionship or presence. | |||
| Hindi | हमेशा | ||
| The Hindi word "हमेशा" can also be used to mean "often" or "regularly." | |||
| Kannada | ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ | ||
| ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ has historically referred to "every day" in some South Indian dialects. | |||
| Malayalam | എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും | ||
| The word 'എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും' in Malayalam has multiple meanings depending on the context, including 'always', 'every time', and 'generally'. | |||
| Marathi | नेहमी | ||
| In addition to meaning "always," "नेहमी" also means "frequently," "regularly," or "habitually." | |||
| Nepali | सँधै | ||
| The word "सँधै" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सर्पदा" meaning "constantly" or "continuously." | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ | ||
| "ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "samasta", which means "entire". It can also mean "at all times" or "without fail". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැමවිටම | ||
| Tamil | எப்போதும் | ||
| "எப்போதும்" can also refer to an unchanging state or a continuous action. | |||
| Telugu | ఎల్లప్పుడూ | ||
| Urdu | ہمیشہ | ||
| "ہمیشہ" is derived from the Persian/Arabic word "hamish" meaning "constant" or "perpetual". | |||
Always in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 总是 | ||
| 总是 (zǒng shì) can also mean "as a rule" or "usually". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 總是 | ||
| In Chinese, 總是 can also mean "in general" or "usually". | |||
| Japanese | 常に | ||
| It also means "ever" or "all the time" in a non-temporal sense. | |||
| Korean | 항상 | ||
| "항상" (always) is derived from the word "항" (a side) and "상" (direction), which means "in all directions" or "on all sides". | |||
| Mongolian | үргэлж | ||
| "Үргэлж" is derived from the verb "үргэх" meaning "to continue" or "to endure". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အမြဲတမ်း | ||
Always in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | selalu | ||
| Selalu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sarvada', meaning 'at all times' or 'continuously'. | |||
| Javanese | tansah | ||
| The word "tansah" in Javanese also has alternate meanings such as "continuously" and "regularly". | |||
| Khmer | ជានិច្ច | ||
| The word "ជានិច្ច" (always) in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "nitya," meaning "constant" or "eternal." | |||
| Lao | ສະເຫມີ | ||
| {"text": "The word ສະເຫມີ ('always') is derived from Sanskrit "samahita" (concentrated, collected), cognate with Thai เสมอ ("always, consistent", also referring to "equality or likeness")"} | |||
| Malay | selalu | ||
| The word "selalu" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*salu" meaning "one" or "together", reflecting its original meaning of "constantly" or "without interruption". | |||
| Thai | เสมอ | ||
| "เสมอ" can also mean "level" (e.g. "พื้นเสมอ") or "equal" (e.g. "เท่าเสมอ"). | |||
| Vietnamese | luôn luôn | ||
| In Vietnamese, "luôn luôn" also implies a continuous or constant state, and can be used to describe ongoing processes or habitual actions. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | palagi | ||
Always in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həmişə | ||
| Kazakh | әрқашан | ||
| "Әрқашан" is sometimes used to mean "never" with negative verbs (in which case it means that something "never happens"). | |||
| Kyrgyz | ар дайым | ||
| "Ар дайым" in Kyrgyz can also mean "at all times" or "constantly". | |||
| Tajik | ҳамеша | ||
| The word "ҳамеша" is often used to mean "every day" when talking about a routine. | |||
| Turkmen | elmydama | ||
| Uzbek | har doim | ||
| The word "har doim" in Uzbek is also used to mean "permanently" or "constantly". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەمىشە | ||
Always in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mau | ||
| The word "mau" can also be used to mean "continuous", "incessant", "constantly", "perpetually", "unceasingly", "without end", or "everlasting". | |||
| Maori | i nga wa katoa | ||
| The phrase 'i nga wa katoa' can refer to 'the eternal moment', 'in the past', 'in the present', or 'in the future'. | |||
| Samoan | i taimi uma | ||
| I taimi uma means "always," but can also mean "at all times" or "continually" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | palagi | ||
| In other Philippine languages, the word 'palagi' means 'every other day' and 'one day between two days'. | |||
Always in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhamapuni | ||
| Guarani | akói | ||
Always in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉiam | ||
| "Ĉiam" is an Esperanto word that also means "eternal"} | |||
| Latin | semper | ||
| Semper derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *sem-, meaning 'together' or 'as one'. | |||
Always in Others Languages
| Greek | πάντα | ||
| The word "πάντα" also means "all" or "everything" in Greek and is often used in this sense. | |||
| Hmong | yeej ib txwm | ||
| In addition to meaning "always," "yeej ib txwm" also refers to the act of preserving or passing down culture. | |||
| Kurdish | herdem | ||
| "Herdem" also means "eternally" and "every time" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | her zaman | ||
| "Her zaman" kelimesi "her zaman"dan daha fazlasını ifade eder. "Her zaman" sözcüğü "her zaman" anlamına gelen Arapça "daimen" kelimesinden türemiştir. | |||
| Xhosa | njalo | ||
| The word 'njalo' can also refer to regularity. | |||
| Yiddish | אַלע מאָל | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַלע מאָל" can also mean "sometimes" or "every time". | |||
| Zulu | njalo | ||
| The word 'njalo' can also be used to indicate 'at once' or 'continuously'. | |||
| Assamese | সদায় | ||
| Aymara | ukhamapuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | हर दम | ||
| Dhivehi | އަބަދުވެސް | ||
| Dogri | म्हेशां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | palagi | ||
| Guarani | akói | ||
| Ilocano | kanayon | ||
| Krio | ɔltɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گشت کاتێک | ||
| Maithili | सदिखन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯝ ꯄꯨꯝꯕꯗ | ||
| Mizo | englaipawhin | ||
| Oromo | yeroo hunda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସବୁବେଳେ | ||
| Quechua | sapa kuti | ||
| Sanskrit | सर्वदा | ||
| Tatar | һәрвакыт | ||
| Tigrinya | ወትሪ | ||
| Tsonga | nkarhi hinkwawo | ||