Already in Different Languages
Discover 'Already' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'already' is a small but powerful term that indicates the completion of an action before another time or reference point. It's a common word in everyday language, and its significance lies in its ability to convey the sequence and completion of events. Already has cultural importance in literature, music, and everyday conversations, as it helps us express our thoughts and emotions more accurately.
Moreover, the word 'already' has a rich history and is associated with various interesting facts. For instance, in Old English, the word 'alredes' was used, which evolved into 'alredy' in Middle English before finally becoming 'already' in Modern English. This evolution showcases the dynamic nature of language and how words can change over time.
As language learners and cultural enthusiasts, understanding the translation of 'already' in different languages can broaden our perspectives and enhance our communication skills. Here are some translations of 'already' in various languages:
Already
Already in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | alreeds | ||
| 'Reeds' is an Afrikaans word meaning 'already', which is derived from the Dutch word 'reeds' with the same meaning. | |||
| Amharic | ቀድሞውኑ | ||
| The word "ቀድሞውኑ" can also mean "before" or "previously". | |||
| Hausa | riga | ||
| The word "riga" has alternate meanings such as "to make", "to do", and "to become". | |||
| Igbo | ugbua | ||
| The Igbo word "ugbua," meaning "already," also connotes "now," "presently," or "immediately." | |||
| Malagasy | efa | ||
| The Malagasy word "EFA" also means "to get", "to obtain", or "to receive". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kale | ||
| The word "kale" in Nyanja can also mean "completely" or "utterly". | |||
| Shona | kare | ||
| Kare can also mean "already" or "in the past". | |||
| Somali | mar hore | ||
| "Mar hore" (already) in Somali comes from the verb "marin" (to remain or stay) and thus connotes an ongoing state of being. | |||
| Sesotho | e se e ntse e le teng | ||
| It is a compound of 'e se' and 'tse teng,' which mean 'it is a thing of the present' or 'it is already.' | |||
| Swahili | tayari | ||
| The word 'tayari' also denotes being prepared or in readiness. | |||
| Xhosa | sele | ||
| The word 'sele' may also be used as a suffix to emphasize or intensify the meaning of another word. | |||
| Yoruba | tẹlẹ | ||
| The Yoruba word "tẹlẹ" (already) is also used to mean "before", or "in advance" in the context of time. | |||
| Zulu | vele | ||
| Vele is also used in Zulu to emphasize an action to be completed in the near future. | |||
| Bambara | kelen | ||
| Ewe | do ŋgɔ xoxo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bimaze | ||
| Lingala | deja | ||
| Luganda | okumala | ||
| Sepedi | šetše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dada | ||
Already in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سابقا | ||
| سابقا is also used to describe a divorced woman whose waiting period (iddah) has expired. | |||
| Hebrew | כְּבָר | ||
| The word "כְּבָר" is also used as an intensifier (literally, "too much") and to indicate "in the meantime". | |||
| Pashto | دمخه | ||
| The word "دمخه" in Pashto has alternate meanings such as "so much" and "very much". | |||
| Arabic | سابقا | ||
| سابقا is also used to describe a divorced woman whose waiting period (iddah) has expired. | |||
Already in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tashmë | ||
| The Albanian word "tashmë" is derived from the Greek "tasima", meaning "to carry" or "to transport". | |||
| Basque | jadanik | ||
| The word "jadanik" can also mean "already done" or "finished" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | ja | ||
| The word "ja" also means "now" or "then" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | već | ||
| The word "već" derives from the Proto-Slavic term "vьsь", meaning "all," and is cognate with other Slavic languages such as Russian "весь" (vesʹ) and Polish "wszystek" (wszy-stek). | |||
| Danish | allerede | ||
| The word "allerede" comes from the Old Norse word "allreiðr", meaning "fully prepared". | |||
| Dutch | nu al | ||
| Nu al is derived from Dutch "nu" (now) and Old Dutch "al" (already), and can also mean "immediately" or "right away". | |||
| English | already | ||
| The word 'already' originated in the Old English phrase 'eallra de' meaning 'completely,' 'wholly,' and 'altogether,' and it originally had a strong sense of finality. | |||
| French | déjà | ||
| The word "déjà" derives from the Old French "desjà" and is related to the Italian "già." | |||
| Frisian | al | ||
| Frisian "al" is cognate with Dutch "al", which can also mean "always" | |||
| Galician | xa | ||
| The word "xa" can also mean "that" or "then" in some contexts. | |||
| German | bereits | ||
| The German word "bereits" is derived from the Old High German word "bereita", meaning "ready" or "prepared". | |||
| Icelandic | nú þegar | ||
| The word "nú þegar" can also mean "right now" or "immediately" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | cheana féin | ||
| The word "cheana féin" literally means "time itself" or "time that exists". | |||
| Italian | già | ||
| "Già" can also mean "indeed" or "however" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schonn | ||
| "Schon" comes from the Old High German "scōni", meaning "beautiful" or "radiant" | |||
| Maltese | diġà | ||
| 'Diġà' in Maltese originates, via Old Italian 'già' from Latin 'iam', and was originally a term for 'recently' or 'soon'. It can also mean 'henceforth', 'hence', 'thereupon' or 'by then'. | |||
| Norwegian | allerede | ||
| Derived from Old Norse "allraedi" where the "raedr" part meant prepared or ready. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | já | ||
| Originally "já" meant "there", the word was borrowed from Sanskrit and became the adverb "already" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mu thràth | ||
| Mu thràth comes from the Gaelic words "mu" (of) and "tràth" (time). It can also mean "from now on" or "henceforth". | |||
| Spanish | ya | ||
| “Ya” is a homophone of the second person singular informal pronoun in Spanish, which may cause confusion in some contexts. | |||
| Swedish | redan | ||
| In Swedish, the word "redan" can also mean "a long time ago" or "previously." | |||
| Welsh | eisoes | ||
| The word "eisoes" is derived from the Middle Welsh word "eiss" or "eis" and the suffix "-oes". "Eiss" or "eis" meant "to go into" or "to be in". | |||
Already in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ужо | ||
| The word "ужо" in Belarusian is a cognate of the Russian "уже", which also means "already". Additionally, "ужо" can mean "snake" in some Belarusian dialects. | |||
| Bosnian | već | ||
| Although the word 'već' typically means 'already' in Bosnian, it can also mean 'more' or 'too much' in certain contexts. | |||
| Bulgarian | вече | ||
| The word "вече" in Bulgarian can also mean "council" or "assembly". | |||
| Czech | již | ||
| The word "již" can also mean "downstream" or refer to a type of water plant resembling horsetail. | |||
| Estonian | juba | ||
| The word "juba" in Estonian also means "mane" or "crest", and is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ģheubh-, meaning "to cover" or "to protect". | |||
| Finnish | jo | ||
| The word "jo" can also mean "yes" or "indeed" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | már | ||
| The word "már" in Hungarian can also mean "already", "yet", or "more". | |||
| Latvian | jau | ||
| The Latvian word "jau" can also mean "even", "yet" or "again" depending on context. | |||
| Lithuanian | jau | ||
| The word "jau" in Lithuanian can also mean "now", "immediately", or "just". | |||
| Macedonian | веќе | ||
| Although in other Slavic languages 'веќе' means 'more' or 'plus', its equivalent is 'вече', not 'веќе' in these languages | |||
| Polish | już | ||
| The word "już" originally denoted the act of moving and later on acquired the meaning of "completion of the action". | |||
| Romanian | deja | ||
| The Romanian word "deja" also means "recently", sharing its etymological origin with the French word "déjà". | |||
| Russian | уже | ||
| "Уже" derives from the adverb "уже" (narrow), meaning it originally signified "to a narrow extent, to a restricted quantity" in Old Russian and later came to mean "to a sufficient extent, to a necessary quantity". | |||
| Serbian | већ | ||
| In Serbian, "већ" also means "but" or "however" and originated from the Old Church Slavonic word "веще", meaning "but". | |||
| Slovak | už | ||
| The word "už" is cognate to the Russian word "уже", also meaning "already", and has a secondary meaning of "narrow", referring to a constriction or narrow passage. | |||
| Slovenian | že | ||
| The Slovenian word "že" can also mean "then", "now", or "indeed". | |||
| Ukrainian | вже | ||
| "Вже" in Ukrainian is derived from the Old East Slavic "ўже", meaning "narrow" or "tight". Its current meaning of "already" emerged due to its association with the idea of a narrowing time frame. | |||
Already in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ইতিমধ্যে | ||
| "ইতিমধ্যে" (itimadhye) can also mean "in the meantime" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પહેલેથી જ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પહેલેથી જ" literally means "since before" but it commonly means "already". | |||
| Hindi | पहले से | ||
| The word 'पहले से' ('already' in Hindi) can also mean 'from before' or 'in advance'. | |||
| Kannada | ಈಗಾಗಲೇ | ||
| The word 'ಈಗಾಗಲೇ' in Kannada can also mean 'by now' or 'at this time'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഇതിനകം | ||
| The word "ഇതിനകം" can also be used to mean "within", "inside", or "in the course of." | |||
| Marathi | आधीच | ||
| The word "आधीच" in Marathi can also mean "in advance" or "prior to". | |||
| Nepali | पहिले नै | ||
| The word पहिले नै is a compound word consisting of पहिले meaning "before" and नै, a particle expressing emphasis or finality. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැනටමත් | ||
| Tamil | ஏற்கனவே | ||
| "ஏற்கனவே" comes from the Tamil root "ஏற்" (to receive) and "கன்" (past), hence "that which has been received". It can also refer to prior events, actions, or conditions. | |||
| Telugu | ఇప్పటికే | ||
| "ఇప్పటికే" can also be used with a negative sense in Telugu, meaning "even now" or "until now." | |||
| Urdu | پہلے سے | ||
| " پہلے سے " when broken down into its parts means "before" and "from", it is often used to refer to something that has already happened, or has been done. | |||
Already in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 已经 | ||
| The character 已 in 已经 also appears in已然 and已过, all of which have similar meanings | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 已經 | ||
| In Mandarin Chinese, 已經 can also mean "to have" or "to be". | |||
| Japanese | 既に | ||
| 既に is used exclusively in writing and is not encountered in spoken Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 이미 | ||
| The word '이미' can also mean 'yet', 'still', or 'even now'. | |||
| Mongolian | аль хэдийн | ||
| The word "аль хэдийн" is also used in the sense of "immediately" or "right now". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှိပြီးသား | ||
Already in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sudah | ||
| "Sudah" comes from the Old Javanese word "husada," which means "medicine" or "to heal." | |||
| Javanese | wis | ||
| The word "wis" in Javanese is also often used informally to show empathy towards the other party's feelings in the form of sympathy, condolences, or disappointment. | |||
| Khmer | រួចទៅហើយ | ||
| The Khmer word "រួចទៅហើយ" can also mean "to be finished" or "to be over". | |||
| Lao | ແລ້ວ | ||
| The Lao word ແລ້ວ can also mean 'finished', 'done', 'over', or 'completed'. | |||
| Malay | sudah | ||
| Malay "sudah" originates from Sanskrit "husta" or "hrsta" meaning "exhausted" or "spent". Malay "sudah" also means "done" or "finished". | |||
| Thai | แล้ว | ||
| While the word "แล้ว" often translates to "already", it can also mean "finished", "done", or "past" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | đã sẵn sàng | ||
| The term "đã sẵn sàng" can also refer to a state of readiness or preparedness in a more general sense. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | na | ||
Already in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | onsuz da | ||
| "Onsuz" is the Azerbaijani form of "önce" in Turkish, which means "before" and is in many ways the opposite of "onsuz da". | |||
| Kazakh | қазірдің өзінде | ||
| Kyrgyz | мурунтан эле | ||
| The word "мурунтан эле" in Kyrgyz originally meant "at that time" or "earlier" but gradually started being used with the meaning "already". | |||
| Tajik | аллакай | ||
| The word "аллакай" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "الحال" (al-haal), which means "at present" or "now". | |||
| Turkmen | eýýäm | ||
| Uzbek | allaqachon | ||
| The Uzbek word "allaqachon" is derived from the Arabic word "al-lahu akbar," meaning "God is greatest". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاللىبۇرۇن | ||
Already in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ua | ||
| "Ua" can also mean "rain" and is pronounced differently in these two contexts. | |||
| Maori | kua | ||
| "Kua" can also mean "cooked" or "ripe". | |||
| Samoan | ua uma | ||
| 'Ua uma' in Samoan can also mean 'already finished', or 'exhausted'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | na | ||
| The Tagalog word "na" can also indicate the completion or fulfilment of an action, similar to the English "done". | |||
Already in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ya | ||
| Guarani | oĩma | ||
Already in International Languages
| Esperanto | jam | ||
| "Jam" is also used in Esperanto to mean "confiture" or "jam" (the food). | |||
| Latin | iam | ||
| The Latin word "iam" means not only "already" but also "soon" or "forthwith". | |||
Already in Others Languages
| Greek | ήδη | ||
| Ήδη is also found in Ancient Greek as an adverb in the meaning of "now," "presently" or "from now on." | |||
| Hmong | lawm | ||
| The Hmong word "lawm" can also be used to describe a feeling of being ready, prepared, or set. | |||
| Kurdish | êdî | ||
| The word 'êdî' in Kurdish also means 'again' and 'still', and is derived from the Persian word 'îdî' meaning 'festival' or 'holiday'. | |||
| Turkish | zaten | ||
| The Turkish word "zaten" is related to Arabic "az-zaman" (the time) and also refers to a fixed, unchangeable situation "like the time/era". | |||
| Xhosa | sele | ||
| The word 'sele' may also be used as a suffix to emphasize or intensify the meaning of another word. | |||
| Yiddish | שוין | ||
| In Yiddish, "שוין" means not only "already," but also "well then" or "so what?" | |||
| Zulu | vele | ||
| Vele is also used in Zulu to emphasize an action to be completed in the near future. | |||
| Assamese | ইতিমধ্যে | ||
| Aymara | ya | ||
| Bhojpuri | पहिले से | ||
| Dhivehi | މިހާރުވެސް | ||
| Dogri | अग्गें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | na | ||
| Guarani | oĩma | ||
| Ilocano | addan | ||
| Krio | dɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆی | ||
| Maithili | पहिनहि सँ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯥꯟꯅꯅ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯕ | ||
| Mizo | diam | ||
| Oromo | silumaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବରୁ | ||
| Quechua | ñam | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वमेव | ||
| Tatar | инде | ||
| Tigrinya | ክውን | ||
| Tsonga | nakhale | ||