Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'eventually' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, signifying the occurrence of something in the future, often after a series of actions or a considerable amount of time. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and everyday conversations, where it serves as a reminder that all things, good or bad, come to pass.
Delving into the translations of 'eventually' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into global cultures and mindsets. For instance, in Spanish, 'eventualmente' carries a similar meaning, while in Japanese, 'iraira' implies a more gradual progression. In German, 'schließlich' is used to express 'eventually', but it also connotes a sense of relief or conclusion.
Understanding the nuances of 'eventually' in various languages can enrich your communication skills and cultural awareness. Here are some translations of 'eventually' in different languages, from the romantic to the exotic:
Afrikaans | uiteindelik | ||
"uiteindelik" is derived from the Dutch word "uiteindelijk", meaning "at the end" or "in the end". | |||
Amharic | በመጨረሻም | ||
The word "በመጨረሻም" can also mean "in the end" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | a ƙarshe | ||
The word "a ƙarshe" in Hausa also means "finally, lastly". | |||
Igbo | n'ikpeazụ | ||
N'ikpeazụ is derived from 'ikpeazụ', meaning 'late'. The 'n' prefix indicates a future event, hence 'eventually'. | |||
Malagasy | tamin'ny farany | ||
"Tamin'ny farany" originally meant "in the end" before taking on its current meaning. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pamapeto pake | ||
The term 'pamapeto pake' in Nyanja is also translated as 'after sometime' or 'by and by'. | |||
Shona | pakupedzisira | ||
"Pakupedzisira" has the additional meanings "at the last moment" and "when all else fails". | |||
Somali | aakhirkii | ||
The word "aakhirkii" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "akhir" ( آخر ), meaning "later" or "last". | |||
Sesotho | qetellong | ||
The word "qetellong" also means "in the end" or "finally" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | mwishowe | ||
The Swahili word "mwishowe" can also mean "in the end" or "finally". | |||
Xhosa | ekugqibeleni | ||
The word "ekugqibeleni" comes from the root word "ukuqhela," which means "to come to an end". | |||
Yoruba | ni ipari | ||
The Yoruba phrase 'ni ipari,' meaning 'eventually' or 'in the end,' can also be used to refer to 'the end of the matter.' | |||
Zulu | ekugcineni | ||
The Zulu word "ekugcineni" can also mean "at the end" or "finally". | |||
Bambara | labanna | ||
Ewe | mlᴐeba | ||
Kinyarwanda | amaherezo | ||
Lingala | nsukansuka | ||
Luganda | olivannyuma | ||
Sepedi | mafelelong | ||
Twi (Akan) | ɛbɛwie akyire | ||
Arabic | في النهاية | ||
The Arabic word "في النهاية" originally meant "at the end," and is also used to mean "finally" in English. | |||
Hebrew | בסופו של דבר | ||
The Hebrew word "בסופו של דבר" literally means "at the end of the matter," implying a sense of inevitability or ultimate resolution. | |||
Pashto | په نهایت کې | ||
په نهایت کې is an adverb derived from the Arabic word 'nihayatan' meaning 'in the end' or 'at the completion of something'. Therefore, په نهایت کې conveys the sense of a result or outcome that will occur after a period of time or after a series of events. | |||
Arabic | في النهاية | ||
The Arabic word "في النهاية" originally meant "at the end," and is also used to mean "finally" in English. |
Albanian | përfundimisht | ||
Etymology: Italian "perfine", Latin "perfinis" (boundary). | |||
Basque | azkenean | ||
The word "azkenean" has been proposed to come from the Basque root "azken" or the Basque-Latin compound "azken" + "ean" and mean "by the end" or "in the end". | |||
Catalan | finalment | ||
The Catalan word "finalment" is derived from the Latin word "finalmente", but it also has the archaic meaning of "finally". | |||
Croatian | naposljetku | ||
The word 'naposljetku' is a combination of the words 'na' (on) and 'posljedak' (consequence), hence its meaning of 'ultimately' or 'in the end'. | |||
Danish | til sidst | ||
The word "til sidst" can also mean "until later" or "bye for now" in Danish slang. | |||
Dutch | uiteindelijk | ||
The word "uiteindelijk" is derived from the Middle Dutch "utendelijc" meaning "at the end" or "finally". | |||
English | eventually | ||
The word 'eventually' originally meant 'in the end' or 'finally', but has since come to mean 'at some point in the future'. | |||
French | finalement | ||
"Finalement" can also mean "in the end", "after all", or "in conclusion." | |||
Frisian | úteinlik | ||
The word "úteinlik" is derived from the Old Frisian word "ûtgong", meaning "exit" or "end", and the suffix "-lik", meaning "manner" or "state". | |||
Galician | eventualmente | ||
German | schließlich | ||
Schließlich derives from the Old High German phrase "ze den iungisten" meaning "towards the end". | |||
Icelandic | að lokum | ||
"Að lokum" is sometimes used to mean "finally" or "after a long time". | |||
Irish | diaidh ar ndiaidh | ||
Diaidh ar ndiaidh means "a while, later, or eventually" or "one after the other" in Irish, and derives from the preposition 'diaidh', meaning "following" or "after", prefixed to the noun 'iaidh' meaning "a space or period of time". | |||
Italian | infine | ||
Infine is derived from the Latin word 'infinitus', meaning 'without end' or 'unlimited'. | |||
Luxembourgish | schlussendlech | ||
The word "schlussendlech" is derived from the German word "schließlich", which means "finally" or "ultimately". In Luxembourgish, "schlussendlech" can also be used to mean "in the end" or "after all". It is often used to emphasize the finality or inevitability of a situation or event. | |||
Maltese | eventwalment | ||
The Maltese word "eventwalment" is derived from the English word "eventually" and has the same meaning. | |||
Norwegian | etter hvert | ||
In Norwegian, the expression "etter hvert" literally translates to "after each". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eventualmente | ||
The word "eventualmente" in Portuguese can also mean "possibly" or "maybe" in English. | |||
Scots Gaelic | mu dheireadh thall | ||
The word is composed of the words "mu" (my), "dheireadh" (end), and "thall" (down). | |||
Spanish | finalmente | ||
The word "finalmente" in Spanish initially implied the presence of death or closure but has evolved to mean "indeed" or "in conclusion". | |||
Swedish | så småningom | ||
The word "så småningom" comes from the old Swedish word "småning", meaning "little by little". | |||
Welsh | yn y pen draw | ||
The Welsh phrase "yn y pen draw" literally translates to "in the end tail". |
Belarusian | у рэшце рэшт | ||
The Belarusian word "у рэшце рэшт" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*vъkonьcě", meaning "finally" or "in the end". | |||
Bosnian | na kraju | ||
"Na kraju" also means "in the end" and "in the countryside." | |||
Bulgarian | в крайна сметка | ||
The phrase "в крайна сметка" originally meant "in the end" or "finally" but can now also mean "eventually" or "after all". | |||
Czech | nakonec | ||
Czech "nakonec" comes from "na konec", meaning "to the end" or "finally". | |||
Estonian | lõpuks | ||
The Estonian word "lõpuks" originally meant "finally" or "at last", but has shifted to mean "eventually" over time. | |||
Finnish | lopulta | ||
The word lopulta derives from the Finnish word loppu meaning 'end'. | |||
Hungarian | végül is | ||
The phrase "végül is" derives from the Middle German "ze jungist" meaning "at the end". | |||
Latvian | galu galā | ||
Latvian "galu galā" derives from "gals" (end) and means "in the end" in the sense of "finally". | |||
Lithuanian | galiausiai | ||
The Proto-Indo-European root of "galiausiai" also gives us "tele" ("far" or "end") in English and "τελος" ("end ") in Greek | |||
Macedonian | на крајот | ||
The word "на крајот" also has the meaning "at the end". | |||
Polish | ostatecznie | ||
The word "ostatecznie" in Polish can also mean "finally" or "in the end". | |||
Romanian | în cele din urmă | ||
The Romanian word "în cele din urmă" can also mean "finally", "at last", or "in the end". | |||
Russian | в конце концов | ||
The phrase "в конце концов" (eventually) also means "in the end" or "finally" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | коначно | ||
Konačno is derived from Proto-Slavic *konьcьno, akin to konьc ('end'). | |||
Slovak | prípadne | ||
The word "prípadne" can also mean "if necessary" or "in some cases" in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | sčasoma | ||
The etymology of the word "sčasoma" is unclear | |||
Ukrainian | з часом | ||
The Ukrainian phrase "з часом" (eventually) literally translates to "with time". |
Bengali | অবশেষে | ||
The word 'অবশেষে' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अवशेष' (avashēṣa), meaning 'remainder' or 'remnant'. | |||
Gujarati | આખરે | ||
આખરે's second meaning in Gujarati refers to a small wooden plank that's put between a baby's head and a cloth that's tied to a cradle for the sake of support. | |||
Hindi | अंत में | ||
The word “अंत में” comes from the word “अंत” meaning “end” and translates to “in the end” | |||
Kannada | ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ | ||
"ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ" is the Kannada word for "eventually", derived from the Sanskrit "antah" and "ima", meaning "final" and "now" respectively. | |||
Malayalam | ഒടുവിൽ | ||
The Malayalam word "ഒടുവിൽ" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *otuvi, meaning "end" or "last". | |||
Marathi | अखेरीस | ||
"अखेरीस" (Marathi) ultimately comes from "Akher" (Sanskrit) and literally means "in the end" or "at last". | |||
Nepali | अन्तमा | ||
The word "अन्तमा" in Nepali can also refer to the end or conclusion of something. | |||
Punjabi | ਆਖਰਕਾਰ | ||
The word 'ਆਖਰਕਾਰ' ('aakharmakaar') is derived from the Persian word 'akhir kar', which means 'in the end' or 'at last'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවසානයේ | ||
The word "අවසානයේ" ("eventually") has alternate meanings which include "at last", "ultimately", and "in the end." | |||
Tamil | இறுதியில் | ||
The Tamil word “இறுதியில்” originally means 'at the end' and can refer to a physical place, a point in time, or an order in a series. | |||
Telugu | చివరికి | ||
చివరికి (eventually) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'चिर' (long duration) and also means 'at the end' or 'ultimately' in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | آخر کار | ||
The word "آخر کار" ultimately derives from the Arabic word "āḳhiran", meaning "at last" or "finally." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 最终 | ||
“最终”由“终”和“极”组成,本意为事物发展到最后阶段,引申为“最终会如何”或“结果将如何”之意。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 最終 | ||
「最終」在日文中也可以指「最後」或「結果」 | |||
Japanese | 最終的に | ||
最終的に also can mean "ultimately" or "in the end". | |||
Korean | 결국 | ||
결국 can mean "in the end" but also "after all" or "nevertheless" with the latter two meanings being more common in Sino-Korean loanwords. | |||
Mongolian | эцэст нь | ||
The Mongolian word "эцэст нь" can also mean "in the end" or "finally". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်ဆုံးမှာ | ||
Indonesian | akhirnya | ||
"Akhirnya," derived from Sanskrit "antyatah," can also mean "in the end," "at last," or "finally." | |||
Javanese | pungkasane | ||
The word "pungkasane" can also mean "the end" or "the conclusion" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | នៅទីបំផុត | ||
The Khmer word នៅទីបំផុត (eventually) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'niṣṭhā', meaning 'firmness' or 'stability'. | |||
Lao | ໃນທີ່ສຸດ | ||
Malay | akhirnya | ||
The word "akhirnya" also means "in the end" or "after all" in Malay. | |||
Thai | ในที่สุด | ||
"ในที่สุด" comes from the Sanskrit word "निर्दिष्ट" (nirdiṣṭa), meaning "fixed" or "determined." | |||
Vietnamese | cuối cùng | ||
The word cuối cùng is derived from the Chinese word 最終, which means "the last" or "the end". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa huli | ||
Azerbaijani | sonda | ||
"Sonda" is derived from the Old Turkic word "sunğan", meaning "consequently, therefore, hence". | |||
Kazakh | ақыр соңында | ||
Kyrgyz | акыры | ||
"Ақыры" is also the name of a Kyrgyz traditional game in which two players try to knock over each other's bone or wood chips using a small stick. | |||
Tajik | оқибат | ||
The word "оқибат" can also mean "result", "outcome", or "consequence" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | ahyrynda | ||
Uzbek | oxir-oqibat | ||
The word «oxir-oqibat» is formed in Uzbek from Persian and Arabic word «oxir» — «end, final» and «oqibat» — «result» (from Arabic - «consequence, result, reward»). | |||
Uyghur | ئاخىرىدا | ||
Hawaiian | hope loa | ||
A play on an English word, 'hope loa' literally means 'long wish'. | |||
Maori | i te mutunga | ||
The Māori phrase "i te mutunga" not only means "eventually," but also conveys the idea of "the fullness of time" and "the culmination of a journey." | |||
Samoan | mulimuli ane | ||
The word "mulimuli ane" can also be used to mean "by and by", "in the future", or "later on". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kalaunan | ||
The Tagalog word "kalaunan" is derived from the word "laon" which means "distant" or "far in time". |
Aymara | yaqhippachanakaxa | ||
Guarani | ipahaitépe | ||
Esperanto | eventuale | ||
The word "eventuale" in Esperanto can mean "contingent" or "eventuality" in addition to its usual meaning of "eventually". | |||
Latin | eventually | ||
The Latin origin of "eventually" is "eventualis," meaning "coming as an event, happening, taking place." |
Greek | τελικά | ||
The word τελικά comes from the adverb τελικόν, which derived from the noun τέλος, meaning "the conclusion" or "the end". | |||
Hmong | nws thiaj li | ||
The Hmong word "nws thiaj li" is composed of the words "nws" meaning "it" or "this", "thiaj" meaning "must" or "will", and "li" meaning "be" or "happen". | |||
Kurdish | paştirîn | ||
The word "paştirîn" can also mean "in the end". | |||
Turkish | sonuçta | ||
Sonuçta is also used as a conjunction meaning "after all" or "in the end". | |||
Xhosa | ekugqibeleni | ||
The word "ekugqibeleni" comes from the root word "ukuqhela," which means "to come to an end". | |||
Yiddish | יווענטשאַוואַלי | ||
The Yiddish word "יווענטשאַוואַלי" (eventually) derives from the German word "eventuell" which also means "possibly". This duality of meaning is also reflected in the Yiddish word. | |||
Zulu | ekugcineni | ||
The Zulu word "ekugcineni" can also mean "at the end" or "finally". | |||
Assamese | অৱশেষত | ||
Aymara | yaqhippachanakaxa | ||
Bhojpuri | अंत में | ||
Dhivehi | އެންމެ ފަހުން | ||
Dogri | आखरकार | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sa huli | ||
Guarani | ipahaitépe | ||
Ilocano | met laeng | ||
Krio | as tɛm de go | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لە کۆتاییدا | ||
Maithili | अंततः | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯩꯗ | ||
Mizo | a tawpah chuan | ||
Oromo | dhumarratti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପରିଶେଷରେ | ||
Quechua | as kutilla | ||
Sanskrit | फलस्वरूपे | ||
Tatar | ахырда | ||
Tigrinya | ብኽይዲ | ||
Tsonga | eku heteleleni | ||