Former in Different Languages
Discover 'Former' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'former' is a common English term that holds great significance in expressing one's past or previous status. It is often used to describe someone's previous role, position, or identity. The cultural importance of this term is evident in various contexts, such as politics, where a 'former president' or 'former prime minister' often retains influence and respect. Moreover, in genealogy, the 'former' spouse or partner of an individual is a significant figure in their personal history.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that individuals interested in language and culture might want to know the translation of 'former' in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'former' can be translated as 'anterior' or 'antiguo,' depending on the context. In French, 'former' is translated as 'ancien' or 'ancienne,' while in German, 'former' is translated as 'früherer' or 'frühere.'
Understanding the translation of 'former' in various languages can enhance cross-cultural communication and foster a deeper appreciation for the nuances of different languages and cultures. Explore the list below to discover more translations of the word 'former' in a variety of languages.
Former
Former in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voormalige | ||
| In Old Dutch, _voormalige_ was equivalent to the modern Dutch _voormaals_. In modern Afrikaans this distinction is lost. | |||
| Amharic | የቀድሞው | ||
| The word "የቀድሞው" can also refer to "the predecessor" or "the previous one". | |||
| Hausa | tsohon | ||
| In Hausa, the word “tsohon” (former) means “old” when used to describe animals or inanimate objects. | |||
| Igbo | mbụ | ||
| The Igbo word 'mbụ' can also mean 'first' or 'previously', and is related to the word 'mbu' which means 'beginning'. | |||
| Malagasy | teo aloha | ||
| "Teo aloha" is an alternate word for "teo aloha" which means "former" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zakale | ||
| The Nyanja (Chichewa) word "zakale" means "former" in English, and is similar to the Swahili word "zako". Both come from the Bantu root word "-kale," meaning "to be old." | |||
| Shona | zvekare | ||
| The word "zvekare" can also mean "again" or "once more". | |||
| Somali | hore | ||
| The word "hore" can also refer to the "firstborn child" or the "first born of animals". | |||
| Sesotho | pele | ||
| The word "pele" in Sesotho also means "the first" or "the original". | |||
| Swahili | zamani | ||
| "Zamani" can also mean "time" or "period". | |||
| Xhosa | yangaphambili | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "yangaphambili" also means "in the past" or "previously." | |||
| Yoruba | tele | ||
| In Yoruba, 'tele' also means 'to be at a distance from' or 'to be far away'. | |||
| Zulu | okwedlule | ||
| The word "okwedlule" in Zulu can also refer to something that is "outdated" or "obsolete." | |||
| Bambara | kɔrɔlen | ||
| Ewe | xoxo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | ya kala | ||
| Luganda | edda | ||
| Sepedi | peleng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dada | ||
Former in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | السابق | ||
| The word "السابق" can also mean "the one who came before" or "the predecessor". | |||
| Hebrew | לְשֶׁעָבַר | ||
| לְשֶׁעָבַר can also be synonymous to בְּעֵבֶר (across), meaning "on the other side". | |||
| Pashto | پخوانی | ||
| The word also means 'forefather', and is related to the Pashto word 'پښت' (Pashtun). | |||
| Arabic | السابق | ||
| The word "السابق" can also mean "the one who came before" or "the predecessor". | |||
Former in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ish | ||
| The Albanian word "ish" evolved from the Latin word "esse" (to be) | |||
| Basque | lehengoa | ||
| In toponymy, the word "lehengoa" might indicate the name of a previous owner; in the sense of "former", in the Basque dialects this word is "lehen". | |||
| Catalan | antiga | ||
| The Catalan word "antiga" also means "antique" or "old-fashioned". | |||
| Croatian | prijašnji | ||
| Prijašnji's Slavic root is also found in prije (“before”) and prijeđe (“transgress”) but also Russian proshly (“past”) or Polish przeszły (“passed”), meaning literally “gone by.” | |||
| Danish | tidligere | ||
| The word 'tidligere' in Danish comes from the Old Norse word 'tíð' meaning 'time', and thus originally meant 'earlier', but has shifted meaning to 'former' over time. | |||
| Dutch | voormalig | ||
| Voormalig, in Dutch, can also refer to "formerly" or "previously". | |||
| English | former | ||
| The word "former" can also refer to a mold or template used in shaping or making something. | |||
| French | ancien | ||
| The French word "ancien" derives from the Latin word "ante" meaning "before" or "in front of". | |||
| Frisian | earder | ||
| Frisian has a similar word, earder, which means both "earlier" and "former". | |||
| Galician | antiga | ||
| The word "antiga" in Galician can also refer to "elder" or "senior". | |||
| German | ehemalige | ||
| "Ehemalige" is a composite of the prefix "ehe-" meaning "past" and "malig" meaning "time," and can alternately be translated as "bygone." | |||
| Icelandic | fyrrverandi | ||
| The word "fyrrverandi" can also mean "ex-husband" or "ex-wife" in Icelandic slang. | |||
| Irish | iar | ||
| The word 'iar' in Irish also means 'after' or 'later', and is related to the English word 'after'. | |||
| Italian | ex | ||
| The Italian word 'ex' can also refer to a spouse who is separated or divorced. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fréier | ||
| Maltese | qabel | ||
| The word "qabel" in Maltese can also mean "before" or "in front of." | |||
| Norwegian | tidligere | ||
| In Norwegian, "tidligere" can also refer to "before" or "previously". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | antigo | ||
| The word "antigo" can also mean "ancient" or "old-fashioned". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | roimhe | ||
| The Gaelic 'roimhe' has a cognate in the Irish word 'roimh', meaning 'before' or 'in front of'. | |||
| Spanish | ex | ||
| In Spanish, the word "ex" can also refer to "late" or "former" in the context of a deceased person. | |||
| Swedish | före detta | ||
| The word 'före detta' is derived from the Old Norse 'fyrir þetta', meaning 'before this' or 'formerly'. | |||
| Welsh | gynt | ||
| The word "gynt" also means "formerly" in Welsh. | |||
Former in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | былы | ||
| The word "былы" in Belarusian is an adjective meaning "past," but can also be used figuratively to mean "bygone," "obsolete," or "outdated." | |||
| Bosnian | bivša | ||
| The word 'bivša' in Bosnian is a feminine form of the adjective 'bivši', which means 'former' and is used to describe someone who held a position or role in the past. | |||
| Bulgarian | бивш | ||
| Бивш also means 'one-time' and 'ex-' in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | bývalý | ||
| The Czech word "bývalý" can also be used to describe something that has ceased to exist or no longer occurs. | |||
| Estonian | endine | ||
| Endine has its roots in an Indo-European root, | |||
| Finnish | entinen | ||
| Entinen is derived from the word "en(t)" meaning "that" and the diminutive suffix "-inen". | |||
| Hungarian | korábbi | ||
| The word "korábbi" may also mean "prior" or "earlier" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | bijušais | ||
| The word "bijušais" is derived from the verb "būt" (to be) and the suffix "-jušais," which indicates a past state or condition. | |||
| Lithuanian | buvęs | ||
| The word buvęs is a present participle form of the verb būti, meaning "to be." It can also be used as an adjective to mean "former" or "previous." | |||
| Macedonian | поранешен | ||
| In many Slavic languages, 'поранешен' has no connection with the notions of 'injury' or 'wound' that are present in the modern Macedonian word 'рана'. | |||
| Polish | były | ||
| In Polish, the word "były" can also mean "used to be" or "one who used to be". | |||
| Romanian | fost | ||
| The Romanian word "fost" ("former") originates from Latin "fuit" ("he/she/it was") and also means "deceased". | |||
| Russian | бывший | ||
| The Russian word "бывший" initially denoted a "former serf" who has gained freedom, hence "ex-serf". | |||
| Serbian | бивши | ||
| The Serbian word "бивши" (bivši) can also mean "ex" (as in "ex-husband") or "late" (as in "the late Mr. Smith"). | |||
| Slovak | bývalý | ||
| The word "bývalý" in Slovak can be derived from the Proto-Slavic root *bъv-, meaning "to be," or alternatively from the Old Church Slavonic word *byti, meaning "to have been." | |||
| Slovenian | nekdanji | ||
| "Nekdanji" is a versatile word that can also mean "former" in the sense of referring to something that no longer exists. | |||
| Ukrainian | колишній | ||
| The word “колишній” (“former”) in Ukrainian is derived from the Old Slavic word “*kolь”, which also meant “circle”, “wheel”, or “turn”, suggesting the idea of something that has passed or has been completed. | |||
Former in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রাক্তন | ||
| The word "প্রাক্তন" derives from the Sanskrit word "प्राक्" (prāk), meaning "before" or "prior to." | |||
| Gujarati | ભૂતપૂર્વ | ||
| Hindi | भूतपूर्व | ||
| The word "भूतपूर्व" comes from Sanskrit and literally means "being formerly". It can also be used to refer to a former life or incarnation. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾಜಿ | ||
| ಮಾಜಿ is also used as a prefix to indicate the past tense of a verb | |||
| Malayalam | മുൻ | ||
| മുൻ is cognate to the Sanskrit word "पूर्व" and is also related to the English word "fore". | |||
| Marathi | माजी | ||
| माजी, माजी is a homophone meaning 'yesterday' and 'former' and sharing a common etymological root with 'मध्यम', 'middle'. | |||
| Nepali | पहिले | ||
| The word 'पहिले' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रथम' (prathama), which means 'first' or 'foremost'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਾਬਕਾ | ||
| The word "साबक़ा" can also mean "acquaintance" or "previous experience." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හිටපු | ||
| "හිටපු" is also used in Sinhala to denote something that has been removed or abolished. | |||
| Tamil | முன்னாள் | ||
| The word "முன்னாள்" comes from the Tamil root word "முகம்" meaning "face", and it can also mean "before" in terms of time or position. | |||
| Telugu | మాజీ | ||
| The word "మాజీ" ("māji") in Telugu is a cognate of the Sanskrit word "माजी" ("mājī"), which means "preceding" or "going before". | |||
| Urdu | سابق | ||
| "سابق" can also mean "ex- (husband/wife)" in Urdu. | |||
Former in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 前任的 | ||
| “前任的”也可表示“前夫/妻”，与“前领导、前任官员”等意不同。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 前任的 | ||
| "前任的" 在中文 (繁體) 中有 "前" 的含義，也表示 "前任 (戀人)"。 | |||
| Japanese | 前者 | ||
| In Japanese, "前者" also means "the person mentioned before" | |||
| Korean | 전자 | ||
| "전자" (former) has an alternate meaning of "electricity". | |||
| Mongolian | хуучин | ||
| The Mongolian word "хуучин" can also mean "past","ancient","old" or "bygone". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ယခင် | ||
| The word ယခင်, meaning 'former' in Myanmar, shares the same root as 'old' and 'ancient'. | |||
Former in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bekas | ||
| The word "bekas" also means "used" or "secondhand" in Indonesian, likely derived from the Dutch word "gebruikt" (used). | |||
| Javanese | tilas | ||
| The word "tilas" also means "mark" or "trace". | |||
| Khmer | អតីត | ||
| The term "អតីត" (former) originated from the Sanskrit word "अतीत" (atita), and is sometimes used in a temporal context to refer to "past" or "a long time ago". | |||
| Lao | ອະດີດ | ||
| "ອະດີດ" can also mean "old", but is mostly used in an official sense. | |||
| Malay | bekas | ||
| The word "bekas" also means "trace" or "mark" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | อดีต | ||
| The Thai word 'อดีต' (a-tidt) derives from the Sanskrit word 'अतीत' (atita), meaning 'past' or 'gone by'. | |||
| Vietnamese | trước đây | ||
| The word "trước đây" is composed of the Chinese word "trước" (meaning "before, in front") and the Vietnamese word "đây" (meaning "here, this place"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dating | ||
Former in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | keçmiş | ||
| The word "keçmiş" in Azerbaijani also means "gone", "departed", or "passed away". | |||
| Kazakh | бұрынғы | ||
| Бұрынғы word is also used in the Kazakh language to refer to something that was previously known or familiar to someone, or something that is no longer new or recent. | |||
| Kyrgyz | мурунку | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "мурунку" can also refer to an ancestor, forefather, or predecessor. | |||
| Tajik | собиқ | ||
| The word "собиқ" in Tajik comes from the Arabic word "سابِق" (sābiq), meaning "predecessor" or "preceding, | |||
| Turkmen | öňki | ||
| Uzbek | avvalgi | ||
| Avvalgi (former) is derived from the Persian word "āvvāl" meaning "first, before, in advance". | |||
| Uyghur | بۇرۇن | ||
Former in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma mua | ||
| The word "ma mua" also means "face" or "front" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | tuhinga o mua | ||
| Tuhinga o mua comes from "tuhi" (write) + "mua" (in front), referring to something already written (past, former). | |||
| Samoan | muamua | ||
| Muamua also means 'in front' or 'ahead' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dating | ||
| Dating, a Filipino word for "former," shares no relation to its English counterpart. | |||
Former in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayrüru | ||
| Guarani | mboyvegua | ||
Former in International Languages
| Esperanto | iama | ||
| The Esperanto word "iama" also means "old", "ancient", or "of yore". | |||
| Latin | pristini | ||
| Pristini also meant "the first" in the sense of rank, as well as "the ancients" or "the venerable". | |||
Former in Others Languages
| Greek | πρώην | ||
| In Greek, "πρώην" signifies not only "former" but also "previous" or "last". | |||
| Hmong | qub | ||
| In the Hmong language, the word "qub" can also refer to "past" or "old fashioned". | |||
| Kurdish | pêşane | ||
| Pêşane, meaning "forehead" in Kurdish, is likely derived from the Persian "pēšānī" or the Arabic "jaybīn". | |||
| Turkish | eski | ||
| In Turkish, "eski" not only means "former," but also refers to secondhand items, as in "eski eşyalar" ("used goods"). | |||
| Xhosa | yangaphambili | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "yangaphambili" also means "in the past" or "previously." | |||
| Yiddish | ערשטע | ||
| The Yiddish word "ערשטע" (ershte) traces its origins back to the Old High German word "erist" meaning "earliest", akin to the English word "erstwhile". | |||
| Zulu | okwedlule | ||
| The word "okwedlule" in Zulu can also refer to something that is "outdated" or "obsolete." | |||
| Assamese | পূৰ্বৰ | ||
| Aymara | nayrüru | ||
| Bhojpuri | जवन पहिले हो चुकल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުރީގެ | ||
| Dogri | साबका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dating | ||
| Guarani | mboyvegua | ||
| Ilocano | napalabas | ||
| Krio | trade | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشووتر | ||
| Maithili | पहिलुका | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯥꯟꯅꯒꯤ | ||
| Mizo | hmasa | ||
| Oromo | kan duraanii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବ | ||
| Quechua | ñawpaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्व | ||
| Tatar | элеккеге | ||
| Tigrinya | ናይ ቀደም | ||
| Tsonga | khale | ||