Could in Different Languages
Discover 'Could' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'could' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It's a modal verb that expresses possibility or polite suggestions, and it's used in a variety of contexts, from making plans to discussing hypothetical situations. Its significance lies in its ability to convey uncertainty and tentativeness, making it a crucial tool in communication.
Throughout history, 'could' has played a key role in literature and language development. It has been used by poets and writers to convey subtle emotions and nuances, and it has helped to shape the way we express ourselves in everyday conversation.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that people around the world are interested in translating 'could' into their own languages. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country, learning a new language, or simply curious about the cultural significance of this word, understanding its translations can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.
Here are some translations of 'could' in different languages, ranging from the romantic to the analytical:
- French: pourrait
- Spanish: podría
- German: könnte
- Italian: potrebbe
- Russian: мог бы
- Chinese: 可能会
- Japanese: 〜 poder
Could
Could in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kon | ||
| The word "kon" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "kunnen", meaning "to be able to" or "to know how to" | |||
| Amharic | ይችላል | ||
| 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". | |||
| Hausa | iya | ||
| "Iya" is cognate to "ayi" (could, might, perchance) in Igbo. | |||
| Igbo | nwere ike | ||
| The Igbo word "nwere ike" can also mean "to be able" or "to be capable of." | |||
| Malagasy | afaka | ||
| The word "afaka" has a homonym which means "able to." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | akhoza | ||
| The Nyanja verb 'akhoza' is also used to mean 'lack' or 'miss'. | |||
| Shona | aigona | ||
| "Aigona" comes from the Shona word "aigonei," which means "to be able to" or "to have the ability to." | |||
| Somali | kari kara | ||
| The word "kari kara" can also mean "nearly" or "almost" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | ka khona | ||
| 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". | |||
| Swahili | inaweza | ||
| The Swahili word "inaweza" comes from the Arabic word "inā" which means "to be" or "to exist". | |||
| Xhosa | unakho | ||
| 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. | |||
| Yoruba | le | ||
| In addition to meaning "could," "Le" also means "be able to" and "have the ability to." | |||
| Zulu | kungenzeka | ||
| It's related to "kungena", meaning "to enter or to be possible" | |||
| Bambara | a tun bɛ se | ||
| Ewe | te ŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birashoboka | ||
| Lingala | akoki | ||
| Luganda | -andi | ||
| Sepedi | ka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛ | ||
Could in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استطاع | ||
| 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. | |||
| Hebrew | הָיָה יָכוֹל | ||
| The Hebrew word הָיָה יָכוֹל is commonly translated as "could" in English, but it also has the alternate meaning of "was able to." | |||
| Pashto | کولی شو | ||
| Arabic | استطاع | ||
| 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. | |||
Could in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mundet | ||
| 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".} | |||
| Basque | liteke | ||
| The Basque word "liteke" is derived from the Proto-Basque *liteki, meaning "possibility" or "ability". | |||
| Catalan | podria | ||
| *Podria* derives from the Latin verb *posse*, but is not related to the Catalan word *poder* | |||
| Croatian | mogli | ||
| The word "mogli" in Croatian can also refer to "having the ability to do something" or "being capable of doing something." | |||
| Danish | kunne | ||
| The word "kunne" in Danish also has the potential meaning of "to be able to". | |||
| Dutch | kon | ||
| In Middle Dutch the verb "connen" meant "to be able" and "to know". | |||
| English | could | ||
| The word "could" is derived from the Old English word "cunnan," which means "to know" or "to be able to." | |||
| French | pourrait | ||
| The word "pourrait" in French also has the secondary meaning of "might" or "may". | |||
| Frisian | koe | ||
| Frisian "koe" is a loanword from Middle Dutch "coen" meaning "to be able to". | |||
| Galician | podería | ||
| Poder in Galician can mean strength, power, influence, or authority. | |||
| German | könnten | ||
| Könnten, meaning 'could' in German, originates from the Old High German word 'kunnen', which means 'to be able' or 'to know how to'. | |||
| Icelandic | gæti | ||
| The Old Norse word "geta" means both "could" and "obtain". | |||
| Irish | fhéadfadh | ||
| "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 | ||
| "Poteva" can also mean "was able to" or "could have". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kéint | ||
| The word | |||
| Maltese | setgħet | ||
| 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". | |||
| Norwegian | kunne | ||
| The Norwegian word "kunne" is derived from the Old Norse word "kunna", meaning "to know how". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | poderia | ||
| In Brazil, poderia can also mean 'would be able to', while in Portugal it can mean 'might', 'should' or 'could have'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | b ’urrainn | ||
| The word "b ’urrainn" also derives from the Gaelic "oran" meaning "song". | |||
| Spanish | podría | ||
| Podría is a Spanish verb form derived from the Latin | |||
| Swedish | skulle kunna | ||
| Swedish "skulle kunna" reflects Proto-Germanic "skuldi kunnan" which meant "I should be able". | |||
| Welsh | gallai | ||
| The word "gallai" in Welsh comes from the verb "gallu" ("can") and the particle "-ai" (indicating possibility). | |||
Could in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мог | ||
| 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." | |||
| Bosnian | mogao | ||
| 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 | ||
| "Бих могъл" (could) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "могѫ" (mogǫ), which meant "to be able" or "to have power." | |||
| Czech | mohl | ||
| "Mohl" in Czech can also mean "dust" or "a person who is incapable" | |||
| Estonian | võiks | ||
| "Võiks" originates from the word "võima" meaning "to be able to" and is used to express possibility, permission, or suggestion. | |||
| Finnish | voisi | ||
| The word "voisi" derives from the Proto-Finnic "*woi̯śi" and its root "*woi̯- " meaning "to be able, to have the ability to." | |||
| Hungarian | tudott | ||
| "Tudott" is the past tense of the verb "tudni", which can also mean "to know" or "to be aware of". | |||
| Latvian | varēja | ||
| "Varēja" can also mean "had to" or "was able to". | |||
| Lithuanian | galėjo | ||
| The etymology of | |||
| Macedonian | можеше | ||
| The word "можеше" derives from Proto-Slavic "*možetъ", meaning both "was able to" and "was allowed to". | |||
| Polish | mógłby | ||
| The verb "mógłby" is also the past-tense third-person masculine singular form of "móc", meaning "have the ability". | |||
| Romanian | ar putea | ||
| 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 | мог | ||
| The word "мог" in Russian can also mean "to be able to" or "to have the possibility to do something." | |||
| Serbian | могао | ||
| The word 'mogao' can also refer to the masculine plural form of the Serbian adjective 'moguć,' which means 'possible'. | |||
| Slovak | mohol | ||
| The Slovak word "mohol" is related to the Proto-Slavic word "močь", meaning "power" or "ability". | |||
| Slovenian | lahko | ||
| The word "lahko" also means "easy" in Slovenian, and in this sense it is derived from the Proto-Slavic word for "light". | |||
| Ukrainian | могла | ||
| The word "могла" in Ukrainian also has the archaic meaning of "opportunity" or "chance". | |||
Could in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পারে | ||
| The word "পারে" can also mean "to cross" or "to be able to do something" | |||
| Gujarati | શકવું | ||
| The Gujarati word 'શકવું' ('could') also has the alternate meaning of 'to doubt' or 'to hesitate', similar to the English words 'may' or 'might'. | |||
| Hindi | सकता है | ||
| The Hindi word "सकता है" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शक्नोति" meaning "to be able" or "to have the power to do something". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಧ್ಯವೋ | ||
| The word "ಸಾಧ್ಯವೋ" can also mean "possible" or "feasible" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കഴിഞ്ഞു | ||
| The word "കഴിഞ്ഞു" (kazhingiy) in Malayalam can also mean "to go beyond" or "to surpass". | |||
| Marathi | शकते | ||
| 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" | |||
| Nepali | सक्छ | ||
| The word "सक्छ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शक्नु" meaning "to be able to" or "to have the power to". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හැකි | ||
| The word හැකි can also mean 'able' or 'capable'. | |||
| Tamil | முடியும் | ||
| The Tamil word 'முடியும்' can also refer to finishing or completing an action, similar to its meaning in English. | |||
| Telugu | కాలేదు | ||
| The Telugu word "కాలేదు" comes from the Sanskrit root "काल," which means "time." | |||
| Urdu | کر سکتے ہیں | ||
| 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. | |||
Could in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 可以 | ||
| The word “可以” also means “may” and “it is acceptable” depending on the context. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 可以 | ||
| The word "可以" can also mean "can" or "may". | |||
| Japanese | たぶん......だろう | ||
| The word "たぶん......だろう" literally means "probably......will" in Japanese but is often used to express "could" in English. | |||
| Korean | 할 수 있었다 | ||
| "할 수 있었다" originally meant "to receive," which can also be interpreted as "to be able to do" something. | |||
| Mongolian | чадах | ||
| In Turkic languages, including Mongolian, the root "чад-" relates to the concepts of smoke, air, and life force. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လုပ်နိုင် | ||
Could in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bisa | ||
| The word 'bisa' in Indonesian can also mean 'able' or 'have the ability to' | |||
| Javanese | bisa | ||
| The Javanese word 'bisa' has multiple meanings, including 'to be able to', 'to be poisonous' and 'to know how to' | |||
| Khmer | អាច | ||
| The Khmer word "អាច" can trace its etymology to the root "អា + ច" meaning "to be able to" or "to admit". | |||
| Lao | ສາມາດ | ||
| The word "ສາມາດ" (could) in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "samarthah", which means "capable" or "able". | |||
| Malay | boleh | ||
| "Boleh" is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bolih, meaning "to be able," and also relates to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bolej, meaning "right". | |||
| Thai | สามารถ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Vietnamese | có thể | ||
| "Có thể" in Vietnamese can also be a noun that means "potential," "probability," or "possibility." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maaari | ||
Could in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bilərdi | ||
| "Bilərdi" also means "to know", "to be able to", and "to have the ability to" in Azerbaijani | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкін | ||
| The word "мүмкін" can also mean "possibly" or "perhaps". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүн | ||
| The word "мүмкүн" can also mean "chance" or "opportunity" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | метавонист | ||
| The Tajik word "метавонист" is derived from the Persian verb "توانستن", meaning "to be able to". | |||
| Turkmen | edip bilerdi | ||
| Uzbek | mumkin edi | ||
| Uzbek "mumkin edi" has a second meaning: "is it okay if..." | |||
| Uyghur | مۇمكىن | ||
Could in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki | ||
| 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. | |||
| Maori | taea | ||
| The term “taea” also serves as an adjective describing ability, and as a noun describing strength or potential. | |||
| Samoan | mafai | ||
| The term 'mafai' can also be derived from 'mai' (to come), implying the possibility or allowance of an action. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maaari | ||
| The word "maaari" in Tagalog is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *maRaRi, meaning "to be able to do something." | |||
Could in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | could | ||
| Guarani | ikatúne | ||
Could in International Languages
| Esperanto | povus | ||
| As a standalone word, “povus” can also mean “possible,” or "capable." | |||
| Latin | poterat | ||
| Poterat can be considered a perfect form of posse meaning "to be able". | |||
Could in Others Languages
| Greek | θα μπορούσε | ||
| The word "θα μπορούσε" in Greek is derived from the verb "μπορώ" (can) and the particle "θα" (will), indicating a possibility or potential action. | |||
| Hmong | yuav | ||
| The Hmong word "yuav" can also mean "maybe" or "it is possible". | |||
| Kurdish | dikaribû | ||
| The word "dikaribû" in Kurdish also means "to be able to" or "to have the ability to". | |||
| Turkish | abilir | ||
| In Turkic languages, "abilir" also means "to be able to" and comes from the verb "bilmek" ("to know"). | |||
| Xhosa | unakho | ||
| 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 | קען | ||
| The Yiddish word "קען" derives from the German "können" (meaning "to be able to"), but also has the connotation of permission, as in "may." | |||
| Zulu | kungenzeka | ||
| It's related to "kungena", meaning "to enter or to be possible" | |||
| Assamese | could | ||
| Aymara | could | ||
| Bhojpuri | सकिले | ||
| Dhivehi | ވެދާނެ | ||
| Dogri | सकदा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maaari | ||
| Guarani | ikatúne | ||
| Ilocano | kabaelan | ||
| Krio | ebul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | توانا | ||
| Maithili | कय सकैत ह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | could | ||
| Mizo | thei | ||
| Oromo | danda'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କରିପାରନ୍ତି | | ||
| Quechua | atirqanmi | ||
| Sanskrit | शक्तवान् | ||
| Tatar | булдыра алыр иде | ||
| Tigrinya | ይከኣል | ||
| Tsonga | swinga | ||