Era in Different Languages
Discover 'Era' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
An era is a period of time characterized by a distinctive set of events, styles, or cultural phenomena. The term is often used to describe significant spans of history, such as the 'Victorian Era' or the 'Information Age.' Understanding eras is crucial to making sense of the past and present, as they help us contextualize events, ideas, and innovations within a broader historical framework.
The concept of an era transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. In Spanish, for example, 'era' translates to 'era' – a direct carryover from Latin. In German, however, 'era' becomes 'Ära,' reflecting the language's unique phonetic and orthographic conventions. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'era' is 'じdai' (jidai), which also means 'period' or 'age.'
Delving into the translations of 'era' in different languages offers a fascinating glimpse into how various cultures categorize and understand historical periods. Join us as we explore the rich tapestry of eras, both past and present, through the lens of language and culture.
Era
Era in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | was | ||
| The word 'was' in Afrikaans can also be used to refer to the weather. | |||
| Amharic | ነበር | ||
| The word "ነበር" in Amharic also means "existed" when used in a different grammatical context. | |||
| Hausa | ya | ||
| In Hausa, the word "ya" can also refer to "a period of time" or "a chapter in a book". | |||
| Igbo | bụ | ||
| "Bụ" can also refer to the Igbo creation god and the four elements which he created | |||
| Malagasy | dia | ||
| "Dia" can also mean "sun" or "time of day" in the context of astronomy and timekeeping. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | anali | ||
| The word "anali" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a specific time period or epoch. | |||
| Shona | yaive | ||
| The word "yaive" also refers to a specific period in the Shona calendar that lasts for seven days and is associated with the waxing of the moon. | |||
| Somali | ahaa | ||
| It can also indicate a period of time with an unspecified end. | |||
| Sesotho | ne | ||
| The Sesotho word "ne" can also mean "time" or "season". | |||
| Swahili | ilikuwa | ||
| The Swahili word "ilikuwa" is derived from the Arabic word "kaana" and can also mean "it was" or "it became." | |||
| Xhosa | wayenjalo | ||
| The word "wayenjalo" can also mean "like that" or "that way". | |||
| Yoruba | wà | ||
| Wà also means 'to stay', 'to be', and 'to exist' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kwaba | ||
| The Zulu word "kwaba" also refers to a stretch of land and a homestead. | |||
| Bambara | era | ||
| Ewe | ɣeyiɣia me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibihe | ||
| Lingala | eleko ya ntango | ||
| Luganda | omulembe | ||
| Sepedi | nako | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bere a wɔde yɛ adwuma | ||
Era in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كان | ||
| The word كان (kāna) is also used in Arabic to denote existence, being, or happening. | |||
| Hebrew | היה | ||
| The word "היה" also has the meaning of "to become" and "to exist". | |||
| Pashto | وه | ||
| وه ('era') is an Arabic loanword that also means 'event'. | |||
| Arabic | كان | ||
| The word كان (kāna) is also used in Arabic to denote existence, being, or happening. | |||
Era in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ishte | ||
| The word "ishte" is derived from the Proto-Albanian *isti̯a (cognate with Latin "istius" and Greek "ἐστιά") and has a secondary meaning of "hearth" or "fireplace". | |||
| Basque | zen | ||
| The word 'zen' also means 'song' and 'sound', but comes from a similar stem to 'den' ('day'). | |||
| Catalan | era | ||
| In Catalan, "era" can also refer to a period of time, a geological era, or a chronological era. | |||
| Croatian | bio | ||
| In the Istro-Romanian language, 'bio' also means 'good'. | |||
| Danish | var | ||
| The word 'var' can also refer to a type of fish, a kind of weather, or a period of time. | |||
| Dutch | was | ||
| Was can also refer to a piece of clothing or a certain style of clothing. | |||
| English | era | ||
| The word 'era' derives from Latin and originally meant a particular period or fixed calendar date; it has since extended to mean a distinct or noteworthy period of time. | |||
| French | était | ||
| "Était" is derived from the Latin "stat" ("stand") and can also mean "was", "were", or "existed". | |||
| Frisian | wie | ||
| The word "wie" can also refer to a period of time, such as a "century" or a "generation". | |||
| Galician | foi | ||
| The word 'foi' in Galician, meaning 'era', is derived from the Latin word 'fuit', meaning 'it was'. | |||
| German | war | ||
| In German, the word "Krieg" also means "war". | |||
| Icelandic | var | ||
| The word var is also used in Icelandic to refer to a group of animals such as swans or seals. | |||
| Irish | bhí | ||
| The Irish word 'bhí' is derived from the Proto-Celtic *bē, meaning 'was' or 'existed'. | |||
| Italian | era | ||
| In Italian, “era” can also refer to a unit of geological time, equivalent to an English “eon”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | war | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "war" also means "true" in the sense of "genuine" or "real". | |||
| Maltese | kien | ||
| In Maltese, the word "kien" can also mean "existing" or "present". | |||
| Norwegian | var | ||
| The word "var" in Norwegian can also refer to a spring or a kind of fish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | estava | ||
| The verb 'estava' (was, were) derives from the Latin word 'stare' (to stand, to be), which also gave rise to the Italian word 'stare' and the Spanish word 'estar' (to be). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bha | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "bha" is used not just as "was", but also "became". | |||
| Spanish | era | ||
| The word "era" in Spanish can also refer to a type of pottery or a Roman bronze coin. | |||
| Swedish | var | ||
| The Swedish word "var" can also refer to a "pus", "venom" or "liquid pus". | |||
| Welsh | oedd | ||
| The word "oedd" can also mean "was" or "used to be" in Welsh, indicating a state or condition that existed in the past. | |||
Era in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | быў | ||
| The Belarusian word "быў" also means "was" in English. | |||
| Bosnian | bio | ||
| Bio comes from Greek for "life," as seen in biology and biography. | |||
| Bulgarian | беше | ||
| The word "беше" in Bulgarian additionally means "was" and "became". | |||
| Czech | byl | ||
| The word "byl" also has the meaning of "existed" and can be used in the context of existence or presence. | |||
| Estonian | oli | ||
| The word "oli" also means "was" in Estonian, which is its original meaning. | |||
| Finnish | oli | ||
| "Oli" is a word for "was" as well as "there was" and can be used as a general "something happened" in Finnish. It relates to "olla" meaning "to be" | |||
| Hungarian | volt | ||
| The Hungarian word "volt" can also mean "was" or "became" in English. | |||
| Latvian | bija | ||
| The word "bija" also means "existed", "became", and "was" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | buvo | ||
| In Proto-Baltic, "buvo" meant "to be" or "to exist" and it could also refer to the past tense of "to be" | |||
| Macedonian | беше | ||
| The word "беше" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "быти", meaning "to be". | |||
| Polish | było | ||
| The word "było" in Polish can also mean "it was" or "there was". | |||
| Romanian | a fost | ||
| The Romanian word "a fost" derives from Latin "fuit", meaning "it was", but can also be translated as the imperfect form of the verb "a fi" (to be). | |||
| Russian | был | ||
| The Russian word “был” can also mean “became” or “had become”. | |||
| Serbian | био | ||
| The Serbian word "био" also means "been" in Bulgarian and "former" in Russian. | |||
| Slovak | bol | ||
| The Slavic word “bol” refers to a more extended time period than the modern Slovak word “éra”, and often pertains to the geological or ancient historical past. | |||
| Slovenian | je bil | ||
| Slovene language has three distinct words with different meanings but spelled "je bil": the first person singular of the verb "biti" or "to be" with no gender connotation, the verb "biti" or "to be" in the passive form, and as a past tense for other verbs. | |||
| Ukrainian | було | ||
| 'Було' is a word that means 'past' or 'age', but can also mean 'it was' or 'there was'. | |||
Era in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছিল | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'ছিল' derives from the Sanskrit root 'chhid', meaning 'to cut' or 'to divide'. | |||
| Gujarati | હતી | ||
| The Gujarati word "હતી" ("hatī") also means "existed" or "lived". | |||
| Hindi | था | ||
| The Hindi word 'था' (era) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'स्था' (to stand), implying a fixed or stable period of time. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಗಿತ್ತು | ||
| The word "ಆಗಿತ್ತು" can also refer to a period of time or an event. | |||
| Malayalam | ആയിരുന്നു | ||
| “ആയിരുന്നു” in Malayalam has another meaning: it signifies a person's presence in a place. | |||
| Marathi | होते | ||
| The Marathi word 'होते' ('era') is also used to indicate a period of time, season, or age. | |||
| Nepali | थियो | ||
| The word "थियो" can also mean "time" or "period" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੀ | ||
| Although "era" is its usual meaning, "se" can also mean "was" or "were" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විය | ||
| The word "විය" also means "age" or "time" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | இருந்தது | ||
| The word 'இருந்தது' ('era') in Tamil is derived from the verb 'இரு' ('to be') and can also mean 'existence' or 'being'. | |||
| Telugu | ఉంది | ||
| "ఉంది" is also used to refer to a period of time, such as a decade or a century. | |||
| Urdu | تھا | ||
| In Hindi, 'Thaa' can refer to the 'being' of a person, as in 'Woh Thaa' meaning 'He was'. | |||
Era in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 原为 | ||
| "原为" means "was originally; was formerly" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 原為 | ||
| 原為 (yuánwéi) was used to indicate the original form or purpose of something, and later came to be used as a noun meaning "era". | |||
| Japanese | だった | ||
| The word "だった" (datta) can also mean "was" or "had been" in English. | |||
| Korean | 였다 | ||
| The word can also be used as the past tense of the copula '이다', which means 'is'. | |||
| Mongolian | байсан | ||
| The Mongolian word "Байсан" (era) is also used to refer to a specific period of time, such as the "Jurassic Era" or the "Ming Dynasty Era". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟုတ်တယ် | ||
Era in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dulu | ||
| In Malay "dulu" refers also to the "ancient times". | |||
| Javanese | ana | ||
| Javanese word "ana" also means "there is" and acts as an existential verb like "yèn" in Old Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | គឺ | ||
| The word "គឺ" can also be used to mean "to be" or "to exist". | |||
| Lao | ແມ່ນ | ||
| The word "ແມ່ນ" can also mean "to be" or "is" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | adalah | ||
| Apart from meaning "era", "adalah" can also be used to mean "to be", "it is" or "is it" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | คือ | ||
| In the context of the Thai word "คือ" ("era"), the "ก" (kor kai) is a high tone and is pronounced "ka-ro". It can also mean "as" as in the sentence "เธอคือคนที่ฉันรัก" ("She is the person I love"). | |||
| Vietnamese | đã | ||
| The word "đã" in Vietnamese can also mean "already" or "past tense". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapanahunan | ||
Era in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | idi | ||
| The word "idi" in Azerbaijani also has the meaning of "time period" or "period of time" | |||
| Kazakh | болды | ||
| The Kazakh word "болды" can also refer to the "time of day" or "season of the year". | |||
| Kyrgyz | болгон | ||
| The Kyrgyz term “болгон” has another meaning in its etymology, “to be, to pass, to live,” and its plural, “болгонлор,” refers to periods of being in history or in a person’s life. | |||
| Tajik | буд | ||
| Tajik word for "era" is a homophone with the name of an ancient Buddha, and is also the basis for the name of the modern Tajik calendar. | |||
| Turkmen | döwri | ||
| Uzbek | edi | ||
| The word "edi" is also used to refer to a "period of time" or a "phase" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | دەۋر | ||
Era in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ua | ||
| In ancient Hawaii, “ua” was also an honorific bestowed upon royalty or individuals with high status. | |||
| Maori | i | ||
| The word "i" in Maori can also refer to a narrative or tradition. | |||
| Samoan | sa | ||
| The word "sa" in Samoan also means "direction" or "path". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ay | ||
| 'Ay' in Tagalog can also mean 'year' or 'age'. | |||
Era in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | era | ||
| Guarani | era | ||
Era in International Languages
| Esperanto | estis | ||
| The word "estis" also means "era" in Esperanto, like the English "his" and "hers", but is gender-neutral. | |||
| Latin | erat | ||
| The word "erat" in Latin also means "was" or "were," and can be used as the third person singular or plural imperfect indicative form of "esse" (to be), or as the third person masculine or feminine singular imperfect indicative form of "sum" (to be). | |||
Era in Others Languages
| Greek | ήταν | ||
| The Ancient Greek word `ἦν` originates from an Indo-European root also found in Sanskrit and Latin, which signified 'to go', 'to be' and 'to blow'. | |||
| Hmong | yog | ||
| The word "yog" can also mean "age" or "generation" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | bû | ||
| The term “bû” is also used in the sense of “epoch,” “era,” “period,” “time,” and “history”. | |||
| Turkish | oldu | ||
| Olmak (to be) > oldum (I am) > oldı (it is) > oldu (it happened). | |||
| Xhosa | wayenjalo | ||
| The word "wayenjalo" can also mean "like that" or "that way". | |||
| Yiddish | איז געווען | ||
| The Yiddish word "איז געווען" has alternate meanings of "existed" and "happened". | |||
| Zulu | kwaba | ||
| The Zulu word "kwaba" also refers to a stretch of land and a homestead. | |||
| Assamese | যুগ | ||
| Aymara | era | ||
| Bhojpuri | युग के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޒަމާނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | युग | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapanahunan | ||
| Guarani | era | ||
| Ilocano | panawen | ||
| Krio | era | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەردەم | ||
| Maithili | युग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯔꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | era | ||
| Oromo | bara | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯୁଗ | ||
| Quechua | era | ||
| Sanskrit | युगम् | ||
| Tatar | чоры | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘመን | ||
| Tsonga | nguva ya kona | ||