Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'assert' is a powerful tool in our verbal arsenal, signifying the act of expressing a confident and clear statement or position. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is valued in all corners of the world. Understanding how to 'assert' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and foster deeper connections with people from diverse backgrounds.
Did you know that the word 'assert' has roots in the Latin 'ad-' meaning 'to' and 'serere' meaning 'to join'? This historical context highlights the importance of assertion in bringing people and ideas together. In English, to 'assert' means to state something confidently and firmly, but in other languages, the concept can be expressed in unique and interesting ways.
For example, in Spanish, 'assert' is 'afirmar,' while in French, it's 'affirmer.' In German, the word is 'behaupten,' and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '� assert' (pinyin: nào). Understanding these translations can help you navigate language barriers and build stronger relationships with people around the world.
Afrikaans | beweer | ||
The word "beweer" is derived from the Dutch word "beweren", which means "to argue" or "to claim". | |||
Amharic | አረጋግጥ | ||
The verb "አረጋጊጥ" also means 'to put up a defense' which derives from its original meaning "a stick for propping up something." | |||
Hausa | tabbatar | ||
The Hausa word "tabbatar" can also mean "to be certain" or "to be sure". | |||
Igbo | kwuo | ||
"Kwuo" (Igbo) may alternatively mean "to declare" or "to announce." | |||
Malagasy | milaza | ||
Milaza is also used in Malagasy to mean 'to state' or 'to say'. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | onetsetsani | ||
"Onetsetsani" also means "to put something to test, to question." | |||
Shona | simbisa | ||
The word "simbisa" also means "to confirm" or "to emphasize". | |||
Somali | sheegid | ||
Sheeg claims its root in the verb sheek, which means "to say" or "to tell" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | tiisa | ||
The word "tiisa" also means "to stand up for oneself" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | sisitiza | ||
The word 'sisitiza' is derived from the verb 'sisi' which means to stand firmly, and is also used in the context of asserting a point. | |||
Xhosa | xela | ||
The word "xela" can also mean "to be a man" or "to be strong or brave". | |||
Yoruba | ṣalaye | ||
In Ijesha dialect, the word `ṣalaye` also means "to talk". In this case, it can be an emphatic way of asking a question. | |||
Zulu | gomela | ||
The word "gomela" also means "to insist" or "to persist" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | a jira ko a bɛ fɔ | ||
Ewe | te gbe ɖe edzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | shimangira | ||
Lingala | koloba ete | ||
Luganda | kakasa nti | ||
Sepedi | tiišetša | ||
Twi (Akan) | si so dua | ||
Arabic | يجزم | ||
"يجزم" literally means "to cut", hence also "to be certain". | |||
Hebrew | לִטעוֹן | ||
The Hebrew word "לִטעוֹן" can also mean "to charge" (an electronic device or weapon), "to load" (a gun), or "to claim" (a right). | |||
Pashto | تکیه کول | ||
The word 'تکیه کول' ('assert') in Pashto is derived from the Persian word 'تکیه گاه' ('support') and is also used in the sense of 'rely' or 'depend'. | |||
Arabic | يجزم | ||
"يجزم" literally means "to cut", hence also "to be certain". |
Albanian | pohoj | ||
The Albanian word "pohoj" can also mean "to claim" or "to pretend". | |||
Basque | aldarrikatu | ||
Basque "aldarrikatu" literally means "make yourself heard" and is related to "aldiri" ("side") and "diru" ("money") | |||
Catalan | afirmar | ||
In Catalan, afirmar also means to strengthen, support. | |||
Croatian | tvrditi | ||
"Tvrditi" is also used to mean "to maintain" in Croatian. | |||
Danish | hævde | ||
"Hævde" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic word for | |||
Dutch | beweren | ||
The verb "beweren" is derived from the Germanic word "waran," meaning "to guarantee," and is linguistically related to the English word "warrant" | |||
English | assert | ||
The word 'assert' comes from the Latin word 'asserere', meaning 'to declare firmly'. It can also mean 'to state forcefully', 'to insist upon', or 'to claim as true'. | |||
French | affirmer | ||
In French, "affirmer" can also mean "to make someone a knight" or "to attach something to something else." | |||
Frisian | assert | ||
The verb "oansjen" derives from the French verb "assurer" meaning both "assert" and "assure". While the modern Frisian word means assert, older forms show it used both ways. | |||
Galician | afirmar | ||
"Afirmar" in Galician also means "to make firm" or "to secure". | |||
German | behaupten | ||
The word "behaupten" is derived from the Middle High German "be-houpten," meaning "to hold up, to maintain" | |||
Icelandic | fullyrða | ||
The word "fullyrða" is also used in Icelandic to mean "fully state" or "fully express". | |||
Irish | dearbhú | ||
The word "dearbhú" in Irish is derived from the Old Irish word "derb", meaning "true" or "certain", and is related to the Latin word "verus". | |||
Italian | asserire | ||
"Asserire" comes from the Latin verb "asserere," meaning "to affirm" or "to claim," and is related to the noun "assero," meaning "a statement" or "an assertion." | |||
Luxembourgish | behaapten | ||
The verb "behaapten" can also mean "to maintain" or "to claim" in Luxembourgish. | |||
Maltese | tasserixxi | ||
"Tasserixxi" also means 'to confirm', 'to declare' and 'to ascertain'. | |||
Norwegian | hevder | ||
The Norwegian word "hevder" also means to uphold or maintain something. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | afirmar | ||
In Portuguese, "afirmar" can also mean to establish, strengthen, or secure something. | |||
Scots Gaelic | dearbhte | ||
In Irish, "dearbh" can also mean "prove," "verify" or "justify." | |||
Spanish | afirmar | ||
"Afirmar" is also a legal term meaning to "guarantee title to property." | |||
Swedish | hävda | ||
In Scandinavian folklore, "hävda" also referred to a supernatural being similar to a brownie or goblin that lived in homes and helped with chores. | |||
Welsh | haeru | ||
The Welsh word "haer" can also mean "to stick" or "to adhere". |
Belarusian | сцвярджаць | ||
According to Vasmer, the word "сцвярджаць" is derived from Proto-Slavic *svardъ, meaning "firm, solid, fixed". | |||
Bosnian | tvrditi | ||
Tvrditi's alternate meaning is to claim something, while its related term is 'tvrdnja', which means 'assertion'. | |||
Bulgarian | твърдя | ||
The word "твърдя" can also mean "to claim" or "to maintain". | |||
Czech | tvrdit | ||
The word "tvrdit" also means "to claim" or "to maintain" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | kinnitada | ||
In Southern Estonian, "kinnitada" can also mean "to confirm" or "to strengthen" something. | |||
Finnish | väittävät | ||
Väittävät is a derivative of väite, which means "claim" or "proposition" | |||
Hungarian | állítják | ||
The verb "állítják" also has the alternate meaning of "to stop". | |||
Latvian | apgalvot | ||
Apgalvot comes from German "appellation" and can be used as a noun, "statement", or "proposition" too. | |||
Lithuanian | tvirtinti | ||
The word "tvirtinti" also means "to confirm" and "to ratify". | |||
Macedonian | тврдат | ||
Тврдат's other meaning in Macedonian is 'to claim'. | |||
Polish | zapewniać | ||
The verb 'zapewniać' can mean 'to provide' in addition to 'to assert'. | |||
Romanian | afirma | ||
In Romanian, "afirma" can also mean "to claim" or "to state". | |||
Russian | утверждать | ||
The verb "утверждать" can also mean "to approve" or "to confirm". | |||
Serbian | тврдити | ||
The word 'тврдити' originally meant 'to harden' but can also mean 'to state as a fact' or 'to confirm'. | |||
Slovak | tvrdiť | ||
The Slovak word "tvrdiť" also means to claim or to insist | |||
Slovenian | trditi | ||
The word "trditi" also means "to suffer" or "to endure" in Slovenian. | |||
Ukrainian | стверджувати | ||
The word “стверджувати” originated from the Old Church Slavonic word “твьрдити”, which means “to strengthen, to fortify”. |
Bengali | জাহির করা | ||
The word 'জাহির করা' in Bengali means 'to make public' or 'to express one's opinion'. | |||
Gujarati | દાવો | ||
The word "દાવો"'s alternate meanings include "pretension" and "claim" in English. | |||
Hindi | ज़ोर | ||
Zor is rooted in the Persian word ' zor' meaning 'force' or 'strength'. | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸಿ | ||
"ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸಿ" (pratipaadisi) in Kannada originates from the Sanskrit word "pratipaadya", meaning "to propound, prove, or establish". | |||
Malayalam | ഉറപ്പിക്കുക | ||
The word "ഉറപ്പിക്കുക" can also mean to confirm, establish, or fix something in Malayalam. | |||
Marathi | ठामपणे सांगा | ||
The Marathi word "ठामपणे सांगा" literally means "to tell firmly" but can also be used figuratively to mean "to insist" or "to maintain." | |||
Nepali | जोड दिनुहोस् | ||
The word 'जोड दिनुहोस्' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'जोडन', meaning 'to join', and is also used in the sense of 'to affirm' or 'to promise'. | |||
Punjabi | ਜ਼ੋਰ | ||
The word "ज़ोर" comes from the Sanskrit word "dhṛ" meaning "to hold"} | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තහවුරු කරන්න | ||
The word තහවුරු is also used to express the idea of confirming or verifying something. | |||
Tamil | வலியுறுத்துங்கள் | ||
In Sanskrit, "वलीयस् Valiyas" refers to a warrior or fighter, implying forceful assertion. | |||
Telugu | నొక్కి చెప్పండి | ||
Urdu | زور دینا | ||
The phrase 'zor dena' literally means to apply force and has connotations of coercion. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 断言 | ||
断 (Duàn) means 'break' and 言 (Yán) refers to 'speech', hence 'assert' means to speak decisively. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 斷言 | ||
斷言's original meaning is 'break off', so it can also mean 'refute (someone's argument)' or 'cut off' in Chinese. | |||
Japanese | 主張する | ||
'主張する' means 'claim' or 'insist' but literally means 'hold the head up' or 'to hold up' something. | |||
Korean | 주장하다 | ||
'주장하다'의 어원은 '主張하다'로, '主'는 '주인', '장'은 '발표'라는 뜻이에요. | |||
Mongolian | батлах | ||
The verb “батлах” used to mean “to be right” or “to be correct” in Mongolian, but its meaning has shifted over time to mean “to assert”. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အခိုင်အမာ | ||
Indonesian | menegaskan | ||
The Indonesian word "menegaskan" can also be translated as "declare" or "affirm". | |||
Javanese | negesake | ||
"Négesaké" (assert) was originally "neges kake", an abbreviation of "negesaken kake", with the same meaning, from the root "kêkê" (to bite). | |||
Khmer | អះអាង | ||
អះអាង also means to argue, to affirm, or to state positively. | |||
Lao | ຢືນຢັນ | ||
The word "ຢືນຢັນ" ("assert") in Lao is derived from the Khmer word "យืนយัน" (yun-yan), which also means "to confirm" or "to swear". It is cognate with the Thai word "ยืนยัน" (yun-yan), which has the same meaning. | |||
Malay | menegaskan | ||
The word "menegaskan" can also mean to emphasize or stress something | |||
Thai | ยืนยัน | ||
The word "ยืนยัน" comes from the verb "ยืน" meaning "to stand" and the noun "ยัน" meaning "firmness" or "confirmation". | |||
Vietnamese | khẳng định | ||
The word "khẳng định" is also used to denote the Vietnamese affirmation particle | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | igiit | ||
Azerbaijani | təsdiq et | ||
The word "təsdiq et" can also mean "to confirm" or "to approve" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | бекіту | ||
The word "бекіту" also means "to verify" and "to approve" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | ырастоо | ||
The word 'ырастоо' has its roots in the Old Turkic word 'yrad-', meaning 'to think' or 'to believe'. | |||
Tajik | тасдиқ кунед | ||
Turkmen | tassykla | ||
Uzbek | tasdiqlash | ||
The word "tasdiqlash" in Uzbek also means "to verify" or "to confirm". | |||
Uyghur | جەزملەشتۈرۈڭ | ||
Hawaiian | e hoʻokū nei | ||
The Hawaiian phrase "e hoʻokū nei" has alternate meanings including "to establish" and "to make known". | |||
Maori | whakapae | ||
The word 'whakapae' can also mean 'to charge', 'to accuse', 'to blame', or 'to criticize'. | |||
Samoan | taʻutino | ||
The word "taʻutino" can also mean "to declare" or "to announce" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | iginiit | ||
"Iginiit" is the past tense of the Tagalog verb "igini" which means to do something with effort or force. |
Aymara | afirmar sañ muni | ||
Guarani | afirma | ||
Esperanto | aserti | ||
The root of "aserti" is the same as that of Latin "serere" ("to sow"), whence e.g. "series" and "assert". | |||
Latin | progressibus profertur | ||
Meaning progress; in the course of advancement. |
Greek | διεκδικώ | ||
In modern Greek, "διεκδικώ" also means "to demand", while in Ancient Greek it could also mean "to prosecute a lawsuit". | |||
Hmong | hais tawm | ||
The word "hais tawm" in Hmong can also mean "to claim". | |||
Kurdish | îddîakirin | ||
The word "îddîakirin" in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word "iddi'a", which means "to assert" or "to claim." | |||
Turkish | iddia etmek | ||
The word "iddia etmek" is also used to mean "to bet" or "to wager" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | xela | ||
The word "xela" can also mean "to be a man" or "to be strong or brave". | |||
Yiddish | פעסטשטעלן | ||
"פעסטשטעלן" comes from the German "feststellen" meaning "to ascertain" or "to determine." | |||
Zulu | gomela | ||
The word "gomela" also means "to insist" or "to persist" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | assert | ||
Aymara | afirmar sañ muni | ||
Bhojpuri | जोर देत बानी | ||
Dhivehi | ސާބިތުކޮށްދެއެވެ | ||
Dogri | जोर देना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | igiit | ||
Guarani | afirma | ||
Ilocano | ipapilitmo | ||
Krio | assert | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دووپاتی بکەرەوە | ||
Maithili | जोर देब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | assert ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | assert rawh | ||
Oromo | mirkaneessuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିଶ୍ଚିତ କର | | ||
Quechua | afirmar | ||
Sanskrit | प्रतिपादयतु | ||
Tatar | раслау | ||
Tigrinya | ኣረጋግጽ | ||
Tsonga | tiyisisa | ||