Expect in Different Languages
Discover 'Expect' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'expect' holds great significance in our daily lives, shaping our interactions, plans, and assumptions. It reflects our beliefs about the future, both in terms of outcomes and interactions with others. This cultural importance is reflected in its translations across different languages, each capturing the essence of the word in its unique linguistic and cultural context.
For instance, in Spanish, 'expect&á' translates to 'esperar', which also means 'to wait', highlighting the patient aspect of expectation. In German, 'erwarten' (expect) shares its roots with 'warten' (wait) and 'erwärmen' (warm), suggesting a sense of anticipation and welcoming. In Japanese, 'kitai suru' (expected) combines the characters for 'hope' and 'do', emphasizing the active role of expectation in shaping our actions.
Understanding the translation of 'expect' in different languages can provide valuable insights into diverse cultures and broaden your perspective. Below, you will find a comprehensive list of translations of the word 'expect' in various languages, providing a glimpse into the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of our world.
Expect
Expect in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verwag | ||
| The Afrikaans word "verwag" is derived from the Dutch word "verwachten", which also means "expect". | |||
| Amharic | ይጠብቁ | ||
| The Amharic word ይጠብቁ also means 'to wait for,' 'to look for,' and 'to hope for' something. | |||
| Hausa | yi tsammani | ||
| The word "yi tsammani" can also mean "to hope" or "to anticipate" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | na-atụ anya | ||
| The Igbo word na-atụ anya, commonly translated to 'expect,' also means 'to be watchful' or 'to be cautious'. | |||
| Malagasy | manantena | ||
| The word "manantena" is derived from the verb "miandry" (to wait) and the suffix "-ana" (to do something for someone). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuyembekezera | ||
| The word 'kuyembekezera' is derived from the verb 'kuyembekeza' which means 'to wait for' or 'to anticipate'. | |||
| Shona | tarisira | ||
| The word 'tarisira' can also refer to an act of preparing in readiness of someone's arrival. | |||
| Somali | filo | ||
| The Somali word "filo" can also mean "to wait" or "to anticipate". | |||
| Sesotho | lebella | ||
| Lebella can also mean 'ask' or 'want'. | |||
| Swahili | kutarajia | ||
| The Swahili word "kutarajia" also means "to await" or "to anticipate". | |||
| Xhosa | lindela | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "lindela" comes from the root "dlala" (meaning "wait"), sharing an etymology with "indlala" ("hunger"). | |||
| Yoruba | reti | ||
| The word "reti" is also used to mean "to wait for" or "to look out for". | |||
| Zulu | lindela | ||
| The word "lindela" can also refer to waiting or looking forward to something. | |||
| Bambara | makɔnɔ | ||
| Ewe | kpɔ mɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | tegereza | ||
| Lingala | kozela | ||
| Luganda | okusuubira | ||
| Sepedi | letela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hwɛ kwan | ||
Expect in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | توقع | ||
| "توقع" is also the infinitive of the verb "واقف" ("to stand, to confront") | |||
| Hebrew | לְצַפּוֹת | ||
| The Hebrew word לצפות ("expect") also means "to gaze at" | |||
| Pashto | تمه | ||
| The word "تمه" is also used in the sense of "guess" or "suppose" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | توقع | ||
| "توقع" is also the infinitive of the verb "واقف" ("to stand, to confront") | |||
Expect in Western European Languages
| Albanian | presin | ||
| The word "presin" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *prins-, which also means "to wait". | |||
| Basque | espero | ||
| In Basque, "espero" also means "hope" or "wait for". | |||
| Catalan | esperar | ||
| Esperar comes from the Latin word "sperare" (to hope) and can also mean "to wait for" or "to trust in". | |||
| Croatian | očekivati | ||
| Očekivati comes from the Proto-Slavic word *očakъ meaning "eye" and signifies looking forward to something with anticipation. | |||
| Danish | forventer | ||
| The word "forventer" in Danish can also mean "to assume" or "to believe". | |||
| Dutch | verwachten | ||
| Verwachten used to mean "to wait on" or "to watch". | |||
| English | expect | ||
| The word "expect" originated from the Latin word "expectare," meaning "to wait for" or "to look forward to." | |||
| French | attendre | ||
| The French word "attendre" derives from the Latin "attendere," meaning to pay attention or be present. | |||
| Frisian | ferwachtsje | ||
| The verb 'ferwachtsje' can also be used in Frisian to express hope or anticipation. | |||
| Galician | esperar | ||
| The Galician word "esperar" originally meant "to wait" and is related to the Latin word "exspectare" with the same meaning | |||
| German | erwarten von | ||
| Erwarten von is an example of a verb-noun construction that's unique to German. | |||
| Icelandic | búast | ||
| The Icelandic word "búast" can also mean "to be prepared" or "to be ready to do something". | |||
| Irish | bí ag súil | ||
| Italian | aspettarsi | ||
| The word "aspettarsi" derives from the Latin "exspectare" meaning "to wait for". | |||
| Luxembourgish | erwaarden | ||
| The term 'Erwaarden' also signifies looking forward to, relying on or counting on something, or hoping for something to happen. | |||
| Maltese | tistenna | ||
| The word ‘tistenna’ in Maltese is derived from the Italian ‘a testa in giù’, meaning ‘upside down’, suggesting the anticipation of something falling into one’s hand. | |||
| Norwegian | forventer | ||
| The word "forventer" can also mean to "take precautions against" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | espero | ||
| Espero shares the root word as the word | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an dùil | ||
| An dùil can also mean 'a purpose,' and is related to the Old Irish duil 'desire.' | |||
| Spanish | esperar | ||
| The word "esperar" in Spanish derives from the Latin "sperare," meaning both "expect" and "hope." | |||
| Swedish | förvänta | ||
| Swedish 'förvänta' is cognate with English 'forefront'; both derive from PIE root '*pr̥k-' ('project') | |||
| Welsh | disgwyl | ||
| The word 'disgwyl' also means 'to look towards', 'to prepare for', and 'to anticipate'. | |||
Expect in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | чакаць | ||
| The word "чакаць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *čakati, meaning "to wait" or "to look". | |||
| Bosnian | očekujte | ||
| "Očekujte" can also mean "await" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | очаквам | ||
| The word "очаквам" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "ожьданъ" (ozhdani), which means "to wait". It can also mean "to anticipate" or "to look forward to". | |||
| Czech | očekávat | ||
| The Czech word "očekávat" also means "to await". | |||
| Estonian | oodata | ||
| The etymology of the Estonian word "oodata" is unclear, but it may be related to the Proto-Germanic root *weitaną, meaning "to wait for, expect". | |||
| Finnish | odottaa | ||
| "Odotetaan vieraita." (We are expecting guests.) | |||
| Hungarian | elvárják | ||
| As an imperative plural, the term 'elvárják' may be translated to either 'they expect' or 'you are expected to'. | |||
| Latvian | gaidīt | ||
| The word "gaidīt" also means "to wait". | |||
| Lithuanian | tikėtis | ||
| Lithuanian "tikėtis" is cognate with Polish "tyczyć" meaning "to affect". | |||
| Macedonian | очекуваат | ||
| The word "очекуваат" can also mean "to anticipate" or "to look forward to" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | oczekiwać | ||
| This Polish verb also means 'to have a baby', due to the similar sound to the word 'czekać' (wait). | |||
| Romanian | aştepta | ||
| Aștepta is derived from the Slavic word "čekati," meaning "to wait" or "to lean towards." | |||
| Russian | ожидать | ||
| The root of "ожидать" means "to wait" as well, which reflects the connection between waiting and expecting. | |||
| Serbian | очекујте | ||
| In Serbian, 'очекујте' can also mean 'to await' or 'to anticipate'. | |||
| Slovak | očakávať | ||
| In Slovak "očakávať" can also mean "to be expectant with a child". | |||
| Slovenian | pričakovati | ||
| In Croatian, the cognate verb 'pričakati' means both 'expect' and 'wait for'. | |||
| Ukrainian | очікувати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "очікувати" not only means "to expect," but also "to wait for" or "to anticipate." | |||
Expect in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আশা | ||
| "আশা" (expect) is derived from Sanskrit "āśā" (hope), and also has connotations of trust, reliance, and eagerness. | |||
| Gujarati | અપેક્ષા | ||
| The word "અપેક્ષા" comes from the Sanskrit word "अपेक्षा" (apekṣā), which means "looking forward to" or "anticipating." | |||
| Hindi | उम्मीद | ||
| The Hindi word "उम्मीद" (ummīd) originates from the Arabic word "أمل" (amal), meaning "hope" or "expectation." | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಬಹುದು | ||
| The word ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಬಹುದು comes from the root word "iri" meaning "to wait" and the suffix "-kshisu" meaning "to be able to" or "to be worthy of". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുക | ||
| പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുക is derived from Sanskrit, where it meant to wait. In its current Malayalam usage, it means either anticipation or waiting. | |||
| Marathi | अपेक्षा | ||
| अपेक्षा ('expect' in Marathi) also means 'estimation' and is derived from the Sanskrit word apa + ikṣa ('to see, look'). | |||
| Nepali | आशा गर्नु | ||
| In Nepali, "आशा गर्नु" can also mean "to hope", "to wish", or "to desire". | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਮੀਦ | ||
| The word "ਉਮੀਦ" in Punjabi can also mean "hope" or "expectation" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බලාපොරොත්තු වන්න | ||
| Tamil | எதிர்பார்க்கலாம் | ||
| Telugu | ఆశిస్తారు | ||
| Urdu | توقع | ||
| The word "توقع" also means "surmise" and can be traced back to the Arabic word "وَقَعَ" (waqa'a), meaning "to happen" or "to come to pass." | |||
Expect in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 期望 | ||
| The Chinese word "期望" also means "hope or desire" but can have a slightly different connotation in certain contexts. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 期望 | ||
| 「期望」原指朝一個方向眺望，後引申為預料或等待某事發生。 | |||
| Japanese | 期待する | ||
| 期待する was a Buddhist term adopted from Chinese, meaning to wait or anticipate the arrival of the Buddha. | |||
| Korean | 배고 있다 | ||
| 배고 means | |||
| Mongolian | хүлээх | ||
| "Хүлээх" also means "to stay", "to wait", and "to hold" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျှော်လင့်ထား | ||
Expect in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengharapkan | ||
| The word "mengharapkan" in Indonesian can also mean "to anticipate" or "to look forward to". | |||
| Javanese | ngarepake | ||
| "Ngarep" in Indonesian and "ngarepake" in Javanese are words used to express expectations, but the word "arep" also carries the meaning of "want" in the context of a desire or wish. | |||
| Khmer | រំពឹង | ||
| "រំពឹង" is also used in Cambodian astrology to refer to the planetary influences at the time of one's birth. | |||
| Lao | ຄາດຫວັງວ່າ | ||
| Malay | menjangkakan | ||
| The word 'menjangkakan' can also mean 'to predict' or 'to foresee'. | |||
| Thai | คาดหวัง | ||
| คาดหวัง is a loan word from the Portuguese word “descobrir” which means “to discover”. | |||
| Vietnamese | chờ đợi | ||
| The word "chờ đợi" (to expect) shares its etymology with the word "chở" (to carry), suggesting the concept of waiting as a burden or weight. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | asahan | ||
Expect in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gözləyirik | ||
| "Gözləyirik" is etymologically related to the word "göz" (eye) and its primary meaning is "to keep one's eyes on something", hence "to expect". | |||
| Kazakh | күту | ||
| Күту is a polysemous word in Kazakh, referring both to expectation and to the act of waiting. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күтүү | ||
| “Күтүү” also means “to guard” or “to protect” in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | интизор шудан | ||
| The word "интизор шудан" can also mean "to wait" or "to hope" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | garaşyň | ||
| Uzbek | kutmoq | ||
| In Uzbek, "kutmoq" is a loanword from Mongolian, meaning "to wait for" or "to catch up with". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۈمىد | ||
Expect in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mahuʻi | ||
| While "mahuʻi" primarily means "expect", it can also refer to "foretell" or "promise". | |||
| Maori | tumanako | ||
| Tumanako means 'hope', 'expectation' or 'anticipation' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamoemoe | ||
| The word "faʻamoemoe" also means "to hope". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | asahan | ||
| The word "asahan" can also mean "hope" or "reliance" in Tagalog. | |||
Expect in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suyaña | ||
| Guarani | ñeha'arõ | ||
Expect in International Languages
| Esperanto | atendi | ||
| Esperanto "atendi" derives from Latin "attendo," also meaning "pay attention to". | |||
| Latin | expecto | ||
| "Expecto" also means "to wait for" in Latin, but with a sense of eager anticipation. | |||
Expect in Others Languages
| Greek | αναμένω | ||
| The verb "αναμένω" in Greek also has connotations of waiting patiently or eagerly. | |||
| Hmong | vam tias | ||
| "Vam tias" means "expect" in Hmong. It is derived from the verb "vam" (to wait) and the noun "tias" (hope). | |||
| Kurdish | bendeman | ||
| The word "bendeman" in Kurdish also means "to hope" or "to desire". | |||
| Turkish | beklemek | ||
| "Beklemek" can also mean "to wait" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | lindela | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "lindela" comes from the root "dlala" (meaning "wait"), sharing an etymology with "indlala" ("hunger"). | |||
| Yiddish | דערוואַרטן | ||
| "דערוואַרטן" is derived from the Middle High German "erwarten" (to wait for) and also means "to anticipate" or "to foresee" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | lindela | ||
| The word "lindela" can also refer to waiting or looking forward to something. | |||
| Assamese | আশা কৰা | ||
| Aymara | suyaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | अनुमान | ||
| Dhivehi | އުންމީދުކުރާގޮތް | ||
| Dogri | मेद करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | asahan | ||
| Guarani | ñeha'arõ | ||
| Ilocano | namnamaen | ||
| Krio | wet fɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشبینی | ||
| Maithili | उम्मीद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥꯖꯕ ꯊꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | beisei | ||
| Oromo | eeguu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଶା କରିବା | ||
| Quechua | suyay | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्भावयति | ||
| Tatar | көтегез | ||
| Tigrinya | ምፅባይ | ||
| Tsonga | langutela | ||