Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'follow' holds great significance in our daily lives, influencing everything from our social media interactions to the ways we navigate physical spaces. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as we see it in various forms of expression, from literature to music. Understanding the translation of 'follow' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange.
Did you know that 'follow' can be translated as 'seguir' in Spanish, 'suivre' in French, or 'folgen' in German? Each of these translations not only conveys the same meaning but also offers a unique cultural perspective. For instance, in German-speaking countries, 'folgen' can also mean 'to obey,' reflecting a cultural emphasis on order and hierarchy.
Exploring the translations of 'follow' in various languages can deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of human languages and cultures. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of 'follow' in different languages!
Afrikaans | volg | ||
'Volg' can also mean 'pursue', 'track', or 'attend' depending on context | |||
Amharic | ተከተል | ||
The word ተከተል also means 'to come after' or 'to succeed'. | |||
Hausa | bi | ||
The word "bi" can also mean "come" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | soro | ||
Soro in Igbo can also mean 'a procession' or 'a group of people following behind' | |||
Malagasy | araho | ||
Araho is also used as an imperative used in the context of a proverb or an idiom. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsatira | ||
"Kutsatira" can also mean "to look after" or "to take care of". | |||
Shona | tevera | ||
The Shona word "tevera" can also mean "to attend" or "to accompany." | |||
Somali | raac | ||
In Arabic, "raac" means "to be a leader," whereas in Somali, it means "to follow." | |||
Sesotho | latela | ||
The word 'latela' is related to the word 'lata', which means pursuit, and has the extended meaning of seeking after something. | |||
Swahili | fuata | ||
Fuata also means to "pursue" or "obey". In Swahili, "fuata sheria" means to obey the law. | |||
Xhosa | landela | ||
"Landelana" means to chase, while "landela" means to follow. | |||
Yoruba | tẹle | ||
One of the meanings of “tẹlẹ” is 'to make a request to someone to help you carry some of your load'. | |||
Zulu | landela | ||
The Zulu word "landela" can also mean "to trace" or "to pursue". | |||
Bambara | ka tugu | ||
Ewe | kplᴐe ɖo | ||
Kinyarwanda | kurikira | ||
Lingala | kolanda | ||
Luganda | okugoberera | ||
Sepedi | latela | ||
Twi (Akan) | di akyire | ||
Arabic | إتبع | ||
In pre-Islamic Arabic, "إتبع" also meant "to seek or obtain." | |||
Hebrew | לעקוב אחר | ||
The Hebrew word 'לעקוב אחר' (l'akov achar) literally means 'to twist behind' or 'to go around after'. | |||
Pashto | تعقیب کړئ | ||
The word "تعقیب کړئ" can also mean "to pursue" or "to chase". | |||
Arabic | إتبع | ||
In pre-Islamic Arabic, "إتبع" also meant "to seek or obtain." |
Albanian | ndiqni | ||
The Albanian word "ndiqni" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *sekw-, meaning "to follow" or "to pursue". | |||
Basque | jarraitu | ||
The Basque word "jarraitu" also means "to continue", "to go on", or "to keep doing something." | |||
Catalan | segueix | ||
The word "segueix" can also mean "continue" or "go on" in Catalan. | |||
Croatian | slijediti | ||
The word 'slijediti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'slěditi', which also means 'to track' or 'to pursue'. | |||
Danish | følge efter | ||
Following a person or thing in Danish, "følge efter", shares etymology with the verb "to follow up", which is a more literal translation. | |||
Dutch | volgen | ||
The etymology is 'volgen', meaning 'to make a track behind something' | |||
English | follow | ||
The word 'follow' derives from the Old English word 'folgian,' meaning 'to follow, accompany, or obey.' | |||
French | suivre | ||
Suivre derives from the Latin word "sequere," meaning "to go after" or "to pursue." | |||
Frisian | folgje | ||
The Frisian word "folgje" also means "consequence" or "result". | |||
Galician | seguir | ||
In Galician, "seguir" also means "continue" or "keep going. | |||
German | folgen | ||
The German word _Folgen_ originates with _folgen_, 'proceed' + _-ig_, a nominalizing element, and can also be used in the idiomatic expressions _in folgen_: 'after', or _von folgen_' for 'from'. In the idiomatic usage, the _-e(n)-_ ending is optional. | |||
Icelandic | fylgja | ||
"Fylgja" has connections to the word "folk" and originally meant "one of the people surrounding you." | |||
Irish | lean | ||
In Irish, the word "lean" can also mean "to pursue," "to desire" or "to stick to." | |||
Italian | seguire | ||
The Italian word "Seguire" (to follow) also means "to continue," "to attend," or "to pursue" in English. | |||
Luxembourgish | verfollegen | ||
Maltese | segwi | ||
The Maltese word "segwi" probably comes from the Italian word "seguire", or the Sicilian word "sèguiri". | |||
Norwegian | følg | ||
"Følg" is derived from the Old Norse "fylgja" which also means "companion" and "attendant spirit" | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | segue | ||
"Segue" can also mean "go to" or "continue" in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | lean | ||
The word 'lean' in Scots Gaelic also means 'to stick, cling or adhere'. | |||
Spanish | seguir | ||
The verb "seguir" derives from the Latin "sequere", meaning "to follow" or "to come after." | |||
Swedish | följ | ||
The Swedish word "Följ" derives from the Old Norse word "fylgja", meaning "companion" or "entourage". | |||
Welsh | dilyn | ||
Dilyn can also mean "to attend to" or "to take care of" in Welsh. |
Belarusian | прытрымлівацца | ||
The word is related to the word | |||
Bosnian | pratiti | ||
The verb pratiti is used only in negative forms in Bosnian, and its original meaning was 'to make an obstacle to', from Proto-Slavic *prětiti. | |||
Bulgarian | последвам | ||
The word "следвам" in Bulgarian can also refer to "attend school" or "study", highlighting its connection to the idea of pursuing knowledge or a path. | |||
Czech | následovat | ||
The Czech word "následovat" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *sъlěděti or *sŭlěděti, which also means "to follow" or "to accompany". The word exists in other Slavic languages and, in Czech, the archaic word "slěditi" means "to spy" or "to track someone". | |||
Estonian | järgi | ||
"Järgi" comes from the Proto-Finnic word "*järvi", meaning "wake" or "track". | |||
Finnish | seuraa | ||
The word "seuraa" also means "a company" or "a group of people". | |||
Hungarian | kövesse | ||
The Hungarian word "kövesse" comes from the Slavic word "sъdъ", which can also mean "court" or "trial". | |||
Latvian | sekot | ||
The word "sekot" can also mean "trail" or "track" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | sekite | ||
The word "sekite" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sekw- meaning "to follow" and is related to the English word "seek." | |||
Macedonian | следи | ||
The verb "следи" can also mean "to watch over" or "to keep an eye on" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | podążać | ||
The Polish word "podążać" originally meant "to walk" or "to pursue," and is related to the word "podąża," which means "path" or "way." | |||
Romanian | urma | ||
The word "urma" has also been used in Romanian to refer to the "tail" of an animal or to the "train" of a dress or skirt. | |||
Russian | следовать | ||
The Russian word "следовать" can alternately mean "to occur" or "to result". | |||
Serbian | пратити | ||
The Serbo-Croatian word "pratiti" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*prędъ", meaning "to walk in front" or "to lead". | |||
Slovak | nasledovať | ||
The word "nasledovať" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word "slědъ", meaning "trace" or "path." | |||
Slovenian | sledite | ||
In Slovenian, 'slediti' can also mean to adhere to a set of rules or beliefs. | |||
Ukrainian | слідувати | ||
The word "слідувати" can also mean "to adhere to" or "to conform to". |
Bengali | অনুসরণ | ||
অনুসরণ is related to the Sanskrit word 'anuśaraṇa' meaning 'following after' or 'observing a rule' | |||
Gujarati | અનુસરો | ||
The Gujarati word "અનુસરો" can also mean "to imitate" or "to take as an example". | |||
Hindi | का पालन करें | ||
The root meaning of "का पालन करें" (follow in English) in Hindi is to "adhere to" something like a path, or an established way of life. | |||
Kannada | ಅನುಸರಿಸಿ | ||
The word "ಅನುಸರಿಸಿ" originates from the Sanskrit root "anu" meaning "after" and "sar" meaning "to go". It thus literally means "to go after" or "follow". | |||
Malayalam | പിന്തുടരുക | ||
The Malayalam word "പിന്തുടരുക" can also mean to pursue, to accompany, or to imitate. | |||
Marathi | अनुसरण करा | ||
अनुसरण करा (anusaaraN karaa) is derived from the Sanskrit verb 'anusaara' meaning 'to follow after, to follow in the footsteps of' | |||
Nepali | पछ्याउन | ||
"पछ्याउन" also means to pursue, chase or to imitate someone. | |||
Punjabi | ਦੀ ਪਾਲਣਾ ਕਰੋ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අනුගමනය කරන්න | ||
Tamil | பின்தொடரவும் | ||
The word 'பின்தொடரவும்' (follow) in Tamil also means 'to chase', 'to pursue', and 'to track'. | |||
Telugu | అనుసరించండి | ||
Urdu | پیروی | ||
پیروی derives from the Persian word "Pai-rav" meaning "follower of the Prophet"," but can also mean "to imitate"} |
Chinese (Simplified) | 跟随 | ||
"跟随"在汉语中除了表示「尾随,追逐」之外,还有「顺应,遵循」的意思。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 跟隨 | ||
In Chinese mythology, “跟” can also refer to a legendary beast resembling a horse with a white head and a black body that roamed in the Kunlun Mountains. | |||
Japanese | フォローする | ||
The word "フォローする" (follow) in Japanese can also refer to "to pursue" or "to obey". | |||
Korean | 따르다 | ||
"따르다" is also used to describe a situation where a person is forced to do something even against their will. | |||
Mongolian | дагах | ||
The Mongolian word "дагах" can also mean "to track" or "to pursue". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | လိုက်နာပါ | ||
Indonesian | mengikuti | ||
The Indonesian verb "mengikuti" can also mean "to obey" or "to pursue a course of action or study" | |||
Javanese | tindakake | ||
The Javanese word 'tindakake' not only means 'to follow' but can also refer to 'taking action' or 'doing something'. | |||
Khmer | ធ្វើតាម | ||
The word "ធ្វើតាម" can also mean "to obey" or "to comply with" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ປະຕິບັດຕາມ | ||
Malay | ikut | ||
The word "ikut" in Malay can also refer to a line or track and to the accompaniment of a melody. | |||
Thai | ติดตาม | ||
ติดตาม also means to "wait for" something. | |||
Vietnamese | theo | ||
The word "theo" can also mean "to go with" or "to accompany". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sumunod | ||
Azerbaijani | izləyin | ||
The Azerbaijani word "izləyin" also means "to monitor" and comes from the Persian word "izlemek," which has the same meaning. | |||
Kazakh | ұстану | ||
The Kazakh word "ұстану" can also refer to "holding" or "gripping" something. | |||
Kyrgyz | ээрчүү | ||
Ээрчүү can also mean "to wait for", "to attend to", or "to accompany" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | пайравӣ кунед | ||
Turkmen | yzarla | ||
Uzbek | amal qiling | ||
The Uzbek word "amal qiling" has its origin in the Arabic word "'amal" which means "action", "deed" or "work", and is used in Uzbek to mean "follow", "accompany" or "perform a task or duty." | |||
Uyghur | ئەگىشىڭ | ||
Hawaiian | hāhai | ||
The Hawaiian word 'hāhai' can also mean 'to descend', suggesting a connection between following and falling or moving downward. | |||
Maori | whai | ||
Whai is also used in the context of hunting, where it refers to the pursuit of game. | |||
Samoan | mulimuli | ||
The word "mulimuli" in Samoan also means "chase" or "pursue" indicating the pursuit of something ahead. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sundan | ||
In Tagalog, some synonyms for sundan are "habulin" and "tuntun," and it can also mean "to stalk" or "to pursue". |
Aymara | arkaña | ||
Guarani | hakykuerereka | ||
Esperanto | sekvi | ||
The word "sekvi" in Esperanto also has the alternate meaning of "to go after" or "to pursue". | |||
Latin | sequitur | ||
"Sequitur" derives from the Latin verb "sequi," meaning "to follow" or "to come after." |
Greek | ακολουθηστε | ||
The term 'ακολουθηστε' is rooted in the Ancient Greek word 'ακολουθειν' and means 'to come after', 'to go with', or 'to attend'. | |||
Hmong | ua raws li | ||
The word "ua raws li" can also mean "take a bath" or "have a shower" in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | pêketin | ||
The Kurdish word "pêketin" has the same root as the Armenian word "hetnel", meaning "to follow" or "to obey." | |||
Turkish | takip et | ||
The Turkish word "takip et" also means "to pursue" or "to monitor" something. | |||
Xhosa | landela | ||
"Landelana" means to chase, while "landela" means to follow. | |||
Yiddish | נאָכפאָלגן | ||
Yiddish "נאָכפאָלגן" is also used idiomatically to mean "to imitate" or "to mimic." | |||
Zulu | landela | ||
The Zulu word "landela" can also mean "to trace" or "to pursue". | |||
Assamese | অনুসৰণ কৰা | ||
Aymara | arkaña | ||
Bhojpuri | पीछे पीछे चलल | ||
Dhivehi | ފޮލޯ | ||
Dogri | पालन करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sumunod | ||
Guarani | hakykuerereka | ||
Ilocano | suruten | ||
Krio | fala | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەدواداچوون | ||
Maithili | अनुसरण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯨꯡ ꯏꯅꯕ | ||
Mizo | zui | ||
Oromo | hordofuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁସରଣ କର | ||
Quechua | qatiq | ||
Sanskrit | अनुशीलनं | ||
Tatar | иярегез | ||
Tigrinya | ተኸተል | ||
Tsonga | landzela | ||