Could in Different Languages
Discover 'Could' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Could
Afrikaans kon | ||
Albanian mundet | ||
Amharic ይችላል | ||
Arabic استطاع | ||
Armenian կարող էր | ||
Assamese could | ||
Aymara could | ||
Azerbaijani bilərdi | ||
Bambara a tun bɛ se | ||
Basque liteke | ||
Belarusian мог | ||
Bengali পারে | ||
Bhojpuri सकिले | ||
Bosnian mogao | ||
Bulgarian бих могъл | ||
Catalan podria | ||
Cebuano mahimo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 可以 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 可以 | ||
Corsican pudia | ||
Croatian mogli | ||
Czech mohl | ||
Danish kunne | ||
Dhivehi ވެދާނެ | ||
Dogri सकदा | ||
Dutch kon | ||
English could | ||
Esperanto povus | ||
Estonian võiks | ||
Ewe te ŋu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) maaari | ||
Finnish voisi | ||
French pourrait | ||
Frisian koe | ||
Galician podería | ||
Georgian შეეძლო | ||
German könnten | ||
Greek θα μπορούσε | ||
Guarani ikatúne | ||
Gujarati શકવું | ||
Haitian Creole te kapab | ||
Hausa iya | ||
Hawaiian hiki | ||
Hebrew הָיָה יָכוֹל | ||
Hindi सकता है | ||
Hmong yuav | ||
Hungarian tudott | ||
Icelandic gæti | ||
Igbo nwere ike | ||
Ilocano kabaelan | ||
Indonesian bisa | ||
Irish fhéadfadh | ||
Italian poteva | ||
Japanese たぶん......だろう | ||
Javanese bisa | ||
Kannada ಸಾಧ್ಯವೋ | ||
Kazakh мүмкін | ||
Khmer អាច | ||
Kinyarwanda birashoboka | ||
Konkani शकप | ||
Korean 할 수 있었다 | ||
Krio ebul | ||
Kurdish dikaribû | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) توانا | ||
Kyrgyz мүмкүн | ||
Lao ສາມາດ | ||
Latin poterat | ||
Latvian varēja | ||
Lingala akoki | ||
Lithuanian galėjo | ||
Luganda -andi | ||
Luxembourgish kéint | ||
Macedonian можеше | ||
Maithili कय सकैत ह | ||
Malagasy afaka | ||
Malay boleh | ||
Malayalam കഴിഞ്ഞു | ||
Maltese setgħet | ||
Maori taea | ||
Marathi शकते | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) could | ||
Mizo thei | ||
Mongolian чадах | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လုပ်နိုင် | ||
Nepali सक्छ | ||
Norwegian kunne | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) akhoza | ||
Odia (Oriya) କରିପାରନ୍ତି | | ||
Oromo danda'uu | ||
Pashto کولی شو | ||
Persian میتوانست | ||
Polish mógłby | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) poderia | ||
Punjabi ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ | ||
Quechua atirqanmi | ||
Romanian ar putea | ||
Russian мог | ||
Samoan mafai | ||
Sanskrit शक्तवान् | ||
Scots Gaelic b ’urrainn | ||
Sepedi ka | ||
Serbian могао | ||
Sesotho ka khona | ||
Shona aigona | ||
Sindhi ڪري سگهي ٿو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) හැකි | ||
Slovak mohol | ||
Slovenian lahko | ||
Somali kari kara | ||
Spanish podría | ||
Sundanese bisa | ||
Swahili inaweza | ||
Swedish skulle kunna | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) maaari | ||
Tajik метавонист | ||
Tamil முடியும் | ||
Tatar булдыра алыр иде | ||
Telugu కాలేదు | ||
Thai สามารถ | ||
Tigrinya ይከኣል | ||
Tsonga swinga | ||
Turkish abilir | ||
Turkmen edip bilerdi | ||
Twi (Akan) bɛ | ||
Ukrainian могла | ||
Urdu کر سکتے ہیں | ||
Uyghur مۇمكىن | ||
Uzbek mumkin edi | ||
Vietnamese có thể | ||
Welsh gallai | ||
Xhosa unakho | ||
Yiddish קען | ||
Yoruba le | ||
Zulu kungenzeka |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "kon" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "kunnen", meaning "to be able to" or "to know how to" |
| Albanian | The word "mundet" in Albanian is closely related to the word "mund" meaning "to be able to", "to manage to" and "to have the power to".} |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ይችላል" ultimately derives from Proto-Semitic *ʾKL meaning "to eat" and is cognate with Ge'ez *ʾakal, Tigrinya "akkal", and Arabic "ʾakala". |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "استطاع" ("could") is derived from the root word "طاع" ("to obey"), suggesting that being able to do something implies following a specific set of rules or instructions. |
| Azerbaijani | "Bilərdi" also means "to know", "to be able to", and "to have the ability to" in Azerbaijani |
| Basque | The Basque word "liteke" is derived from the Proto-Basque *liteki, meaning "possibility" or "ability". |
| Belarusian | Belarusian "мог" (could) is cognate with "moći" in Serbo-Croatian and "мочь" (mochʹ) in Russian, which means "to have the ability to" or "to be able to." |
| Bengali | The word "পারে" can also mean "to cross" or "to be able to do something" |
| Bosnian | Mogao was formerly used in a wider range of meanings, including ability (`mogao bih...`, `ne mogu...`) and possibility (`mogao sam...`, `ne mogu da...`). |
| Bulgarian | "Бих могъл" (could) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "могѫ" (mogǫ), which meant "to be able" or "to have power." |
| Catalan | *Podria* derives from the Latin verb *posse*, but is not related to the Catalan word *poder* |
| Cebuano | The word 'mahimo' can also mean 'possible' or 'feasible' in Cebuano. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word “可以” also means “may” and “it is acceptable” depending on the context. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word "可以" can also mean "can" or "may". |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "pudia" also means "stink" in Italian and "rotten" in Latin. |
| Croatian | The word "mogli" in Croatian can also refer to "having the ability to do something" or "being capable of doing something." |
| Czech | "Mohl" in Czech can also mean "dust" or "a person who is incapable" |
| Danish | The word "kunne" in Danish also has the potential meaning of "to be able to". |
| Dutch | In Middle Dutch the verb "connen" meant "to be able" and "to know". |
| Esperanto | As a standalone word, “povus” can also mean “possible,” or "capable." |
| Estonian | "Võiks" originates from the word "võima" meaning "to be able to" and is used to express possibility, permission, or suggestion. |
| Finnish | The word "voisi" derives from the Proto-Finnic "*woi̯śi" and its root "*woi̯- " meaning "to be able, to have the ability to." |
| French | The word "pourrait" in French also has the secondary meaning of "might" or "may". |
| Frisian | Frisian "koe" is a loanword from Middle Dutch "coen" meaning "to be able to". |
| Galician | Poder in Galician can mean strength, power, influence, or authority. |
| Georgian | "შეეძლო" initially meant "to possess the potential to" and was only later used to refer to past potential. |
| German | Könnten, meaning 'could' in German, originates from the Old High German word 'kunnen', which means 'to be able' or 'to know how to'. |
| Greek | The word "θα μπορούσε" in Greek is derived from the verb "μπορώ" (can) and the particle "θα" (will), indicating a possibility or potential action. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word 'શકવું' ('could') also has the alternate meaning of 'to doubt' or 'to hesitate', similar to the English words 'may' or 'might'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word 'te kapab' in Haitian Creole can also mean 'to be able to' or 'to know how to'. |
| Hausa | "Iya" is cognate to "ayi" (could, might, perchance) in Igbo. |
| Hawaiian | Hiki also means 'climb,' 'ascend,' or 'enter,' reflecting the physical act of climbing a slope or mountain, hence it came to mean 'could,' as in having the ability to climb, enter, or overcome a challenge. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word הָיָה יָכוֹל is commonly translated as "could" in English, but it also has the alternate meaning of "was able to." |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "सकता है" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शक्नोति" meaning "to be able" or "to have the power to do something". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "yuav" can also mean "maybe" or "it is possible". |
| Hungarian | "Tudott" is the past tense of the verb "tudni", which can also mean "to know" or "to be aware of". |
| Icelandic | The Old Norse word "geta" means both "could" and "obtain". |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "nwere ike" can also mean "to be able" or "to be capable of." |
| Indonesian | The word 'bisa' in Indonesian can also mean 'able' or 'have the ability to' |
| Irish | "Fhéadfadh" comes from the Old Irish verb "fédaim," meaning "to be able to do," and is also cognate with the Welsh word "gwneud," meaning "to do or make." |
| Italian | "Poteva" can also mean "was able to" or "could have". |
| Japanese | The word "たぶん......だろう" literally means "probably......will" in Japanese but is often used to express "could" in English. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word 'bisa' has multiple meanings, including 'to be able to', 'to be poisonous' and 'to know how to' |
| Kannada | The word "ಸಾಧ್ಯವೋ" can also mean "possible" or "feasible" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The word "мүмкін" can also mean "possibly" or "perhaps". |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "អាច" can trace its etymology to the root "អា + ច" meaning "to be able to" or "to admit". |
| Korean | "할 수 있었다" originally meant "to receive," which can also be interpreted as "to be able to do" something. |
| Kurdish | The word "dikaribû" in Kurdish also means "to be able to" or "to have the ability to". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "мүмкүн" can also mean "chance" or "opportunity" in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | The word "ສາມາດ" (could) in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "samarthah", which means "capable" or "able". |
| Latin | Poterat can be considered a perfect form of posse meaning "to be able". |
| Latvian | "Varēja" can also mean "had to" or "was able to". |
| Lithuanian | The etymology of |
| Luxembourgish | The word |
| Macedonian | The word "можеше" derives from Proto-Slavic "*možetъ", meaning both "was able to" and "was allowed to". |
| Malagasy | The word "afaka" has a homonym which means "able to." |
| Malay | "Boleh" is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bolih, meaning "to be able," and also relates to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bolej, meaning "right". |
| Malayalam | The word "കഴിഞ്ഞു" (kazhingiy) in Malayalam can also mean "to go beyond" or "to surpass". |
| Maltese | The word "setgħet" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "seṭa" (سطا), meaning "capacity" or "power". It can also be used as a noun, meaning "possession" or "wealth". |
| Maori | The term “taea” also serves as an adjective describing ability, and as a noun describing strength or potential. |
| Marathi | The word "शकते" in Marathi derives from the Sanskrit word "शक्" ("being able"), and also means "to be able to" or "to have the power to do something" |
| Mongolian | In Turkic languages, including Mongolian, the root "чад-" relates to the concepts of smoke, air, and life force. |
| Nepali | The word "सक्छ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शक्नु" meaning "to be able to" or "to have the power to". |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "kunne" is derived from the Old Norse word "kunna", meaning "to know how". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The Nyanja verb 'akhoza' is also used to mean 'lack' or 'miss'. |
| Persian | The Persian word "میتوانست" literally means "was able to" and can also mean "was possible to". |
| Polish | The verb "mógłby" is also the past-tense third-person masculine singular form of "móc", meaning "have the ability". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Brazil, poderia can also mean 'would be able to', while in Portugal it can mean 'might', 'should' or 'could have'. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "ar putea" is closely related to its Latin counterpart "potere," preserving its meaning as "to have power" or "to be able. |
| Russian | The word "мог" in Russian can also mean "to be able to" or "to have the possibility to do something." |
| Samoan | The term 'mafai' can also be derived from 'mai' (to come), implying the possibility or allowance of an action. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "b ’urrainn" also derives from the Gaelic "oran" meaning "song". |
| Serbian | The word 'mogao' can also refer to the masculine plural form of the Serbian adjective 'moguć,' which means 'possible'. |
| Sesotho | The word "ka khona" in Sesotho originated from the Bantu root -khon- meaning "to be able", and it also has the alternate meaning of "having the potential to do something". |
| Shona | "Aigona" comes from the Shona word "aigonei," which means "to be able to" or "to have the ability to." |
| Sindhi | While "ڪري سگهي ٿو" (could) typically denotes possibility, it can also express permission or ability. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word හැකි can also mean 'able' or 'capable'. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "mohol" is related to the Proto-Slavic word "močь", meaning "power" or "ability". |
| Slovenian | The word "lahko" also means "easy" in Slovenian, and in this sense it is derived from the Proto-Slavic word for "light". |
| Somali | The word "kari kara" can also mean "nearly" or "almost" in Somali. |
| Spanish | Podría is a Spanish verb form derived from the Latin |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "bisa" can also refer to a person's ability or competence in doing something. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "inaweza" comes from the Arabic word "inā" which means "to be" or "to exist". |
| Swedish | Swedish "skulle kunna" reflects Proto-Germanic "skuldi kunnan" which meant "I should be able". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "maaari" in Tagalog is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *maRaRi, meaning "to be able to do something." |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "метавонист" is derived from the Persian verb "توانستن", meaning "to be able to". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'முடியும்' can also refer to finishing or completing an action, similar to its meaning in English. |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "కాలేదు" comes from the Sanskrit root "काल," which means "time." |
| Thai | The word "สามารถ" in Thai originates from the Sanskrit word "samarthah," meaning "able" or "capable," and has an alternate meaning of "can do" or "have the ability to. |
| Turkish | In Turkic languages, "abilir" also means "to be able to" and comes from the verb "bilmek" ("to know"). |
| Ukrainian | The word "могла" in Ukrainian also has the archaic meaning of "opportunity" or "chance". |
| Urdu | The word "could" in Urdu derives from the Persian "tud" meaning "power" and was originally an auxiliary verb indicating ability or permission rather than possibility. |
| Uzbek | Uzbek "mumkin edi" has a second meaning: "is it okay if..." |
| Vietnamese | "Có thể" in Vietnamese can also be a noun that means "potential," "probability," or "possibility." |
| Welsh | The word "gallai" in Welsh comes from the verb "gallu" ("can") and the particle "-ai" (indicating possibility). |
| Xhosa | In some parts of the Eastern Cape, the word "unakho" can sometimes refer to "being able to" rather than "to have" as in other Xhosa dialects. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "קען" derives from the German "können" (meaning "to be able to"), but also has the connotation of permission, as in "may." |
| Yoruba | In addition to meaning "could," "Le" also means "be able to" and "have the ability to." |
| Zulu | It's related to "kungena", meaning "to enter or to be possible" |
| English | The word "could" is derived from the Old English word "cunnan," which means "to know" or "to be able to." |