Immediately in different languages

Immediately in Different Languages

Discover 'Immediately' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'immediately' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a sense of urgency and promptness. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of life, from business transactions to personal interactions. Knowing the translation of 'immediately' in different languages can enhance your communication skills and foster a deeper understanding of various cultures. For instance, the Spanish translation is 'inmediatamente,' while in French, it's 'immédiatement.' In German, you'd say 'sofort,' and in Japanese, 'すぐ ('sugu'). The term has also been used historically to signify quick action. During the American Civil War, for example, orders were often given 'immediately' to ensure swift execution. This word has also been a subject of interest in literature and poetry, where it's used to evoke a sense of urgency or to describe a character's haste. Stay tuned to learn more about how 'immediately' is translated in a diverse range of languages, from Mandarin to Swahili, providing you with a global perspective on this common yet crucial term.

Immediately


Immediately in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansdadelik
The Afrikaans word "dadelik" originates from the Dutch "dadelijk", which means "immediately" or "forthwith".
Amharicወድያው
The word "ወድያው" can also mean "instantly" or "at once".
Hausanan da nan
"Nan da nan" in Hausa can also mean "at once" or "all at once."
Igboozugbo
The term 'ozugbo' in the Igbo language also carries the meaning of 'once' or 'at once', further emphasizing its sense of immediacy and promptness.
Malagasyavy hatrany
The term "Avy Hatrany" literally translates to "from a leap" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)nthawi yomweyo
In addition to meaning "immediately" (usually in a temporal sense), the word "nthawi yomweyo" can also mean "at the same time" (often in a spatial sense).
Shonapakarepo
Pakarepo's root word "pakati" denotes "middle" in Shona, referring to an action being done with no intervening space or time.
Somaliisla markiiba
The word "isla markiiba" is derived from the Arabic phrase "as-sa'a al-mubaraka", meaning "the blessed hour".
Sesothohanghang
"Hang-hang" also means "not quite" or "nearly"
Swahilimara moja
The term "mara moja" in Swahili can also mean "in one part" or "at once."
Xhosangoko nangoko
The Xhosa word "ngoko nangoko" is derived from the verb "ngokoza," meaning "to move quickly or urgently."
Yorubalẹsẹkẹsẹ
The Yoruba word 'lẹsẹkẹsẹ' is an onomatopoeia for the sound of footsteps, which contributes to its sense of speed and urgency.
Zulungokushesha
"Ngokushesha" also means "quickly" or "in a hurry".
Bambarao yɔrɔnin bɛɛ
Eweenumake
Kinyarwandaako kanya
Lingalambala moko
Lugandambagirawo
Sepedika potlako
Twi (Akan)prɛko pɛ

Immediately in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicفورا
فورا is derived from the Arabic word فاء which means ``and`` and can also mean ``at once, immediately``.
Hebrewמיד
The Hebrew word "מיד" ("immediately") also means "at once" or "in a moment," implying a sense of promptness and urgency.
Pashtoسمدلاسه
The Pashto word "سمدلاسه" ("immediately") is derived from the Persian word "زود" ("fast") and the Arabic word "لساع" ("now").
Arabicفورا
فورا is derived from the Arabic word فاء which means ``and`` and can also mean ``at once, immediately``.

Immediately in Western European Languages

Albanianmenjëherë
The Albanian word "menjëherë" can also refer to a moment or an instance of time.
Basqueberehala
The word "berehala" in Basque can also mean "as soon as possible."
Catalanimmediatament
"Immediatament" originally meant "without any delay" in Medieval Latin
Croatianodmah
"Odmah" derives from proto-Slavic "*odьmo" (movement from a place), cognate with words like "otъ" (from) and "domъ" (home).
Danishmed det samme
"Med det samme" is a cognate of "mitsamens" in Old Norse, where "med" meant "with" and "samens": "immediately."
Dutchdirect
The Dutch word "direct" can also mean "direct, frank, candid" or "direct, straightforward".
Englishimmediately
The word "immediately" comes from the Latin word "immediatus," which means "unmediated" or "direct."
Frenchimmédiatement
The word "immédiatement" in French comes from the Latin word "immediatus". It means "without delay" (ie. "without the middle") and also "next to", "in direct contact with".
Frisianfuortendaliks
It literally means "for four tens of moments" but is used to mean "immediately".
Galicianinmediatamente
The word "inmediatamente" also means "without delay" or "instantly" in Galician.
Germansofort
The word 'sofort' originally meant 'on the spot' or 'instantly', and is related to the word 'fort', meaning 'away'.
Icelandicstrax
The word "strax" in Icelandic has a long history, being derived from the Old Norse word "straks", which itself comes from the Proto-Germanic word "strakaz" meaning "at once".
Irishláithreach
The term 'láithreach' has historical Indo-European roots meaning 'to lie' or 'to be near', but in contemporary Irish it has taken on a more temporal sense meaning 'immediately'.
Italiansubito
The Italian word "subito" can also mean suddenly, unexpectedly, or in an instant.
Luxembourgishdirekt
In Luxembourgish, "direkt" can also refer to "at or toward noon, midday, or midnight"
Malteseimmedjatament
The word "immedjatament" in Maltese comes from the Latin word "immediate", meaning "without delay".
Norwegianumiddelbart
The word "umiddelbart" can also mean "without any external influence".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)imediatamente
Imeadiatamente is a false cognate of the English "immediatly" and instead derives from the Latin "in mediatē" (in half or in the midst of), and thus means "in between" in Portuguese.
Scots Gaelicsa bhad
Sa bhad is also used in the sense of 'forthwith', 'without delay', 'instantly' and 'directly'.
Spanishinmediatamente
The Spanish word "inmediatamente" can also mean "in the future" or "promptly" depending on the context.
Swedishomedelbart
"Omedelbart" originates from the words "omedel" (without delay) and "bar" (ready).
Welshar unwaith
The Welsh word “ar unwaith” also means “at once.”

Immediately in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianадразу
The word "адразу" is a contraction of "а дна разу", which literally means "from one time".
Bosnianodmah
"Odmah" can also mean "immediately after this" (e.g. "odmah posle" or "odmah nakon" + Genitive).
Bulgarianведнага
The word "веднага" is derived from the Old Bulgarian verb "вѩдати", meaning "to grasp" or "to seize".
Czechihned
"Ihned" is derived from the Old Czech word "ihna", meaning "now" or "at once".
Estoniankohe
The Estonian word "kohe" also means "in front of", and is likely derived from a Proto-Finnic word meaning "to face" or "to be in front of".
Finnishheti
Heti derives from an older word, *het(e)inen*, which is used to modify adverbs and adjectives and means something like "with great speed or in a way that cannot be hindered."
Hungarianazonnal
The word "azonnal" is derived from "azon" meaning "that" and "nal" meaning "at once" or "instantly".
Latviannekavējoties
The word "nekavējoties" is derived from the prefix "ne-" (no, not) and the verb "kavēt" (to delay), hence its meaning "without delay". It can also mean "straight away" or "promptly".
Lithuaniannedelsiant
The word "nedelsiant" in Lithuanian is derived from the word "delsti", meaning "to delay", and the prefix "ne-", meaning "not", thus conveying the sense of "without delay" or "immediately."
Macedonianведнаш
The word "веднаш" also means “at once” and "on the spot".
Polishnatychmiast
The word "natychmiast" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *natъkmiti, which means "to hurry".
Romanianimediat
The word 'imediat' comes from the Latin 'immediatus', meaning 'unmediated' or 'direct'.
Russianнемедленно
The word "немедленно" in Russian can also mean "without delay" or "instantly".
Serbianодмах
"Оdmaх" comes from an Ottoman Turkish colloquial term for a slap in the face, and its original meaning is still preserved in some regional idioms.
Slovakokamžite
The word "okamžite" has alternate meanings of "directly" and "instantly"
Sloveniantakoj
The word "takoj" (immediately) comes from the Old Slavic word "tok", meaning "to flow".
Ukrainianнегайно
"Негайно" comes from the Ukrainian word "негай", meaning "instantly" or "without delay."

Immediately in South Asian Languages

Bengaliঅবিলম্বে
অবিলম্বে comes from the Sanskrit word अविलम्ब (avilamba), meaning 'without delay'.
Gujaratiતરત
The word "તરત" also means "fast" or "speedy" in Gujarati.
Hindiहाथोंहाथ
The Hindi word "हाथोंहाथ" is derived from the words "हाथ" (hand) and "हाथ" (hand), suggesting an exchange of something from hand to hand, hence implying immediate transfer or action.
Kannadaತಕ್ಷಣ
The word 'ತಕ್ಷಣ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'तत्क्षण' (tatkṣaṇa), which means 'at that moment' or 'instantaneously'.
Malayalamഉടനെ
The word "ഉടനെ" is also used to mean "suddenly" or "without delay" in Malayalam.
Marathiलगेच
लगेच (lagech) is cognate with the Hindi लगना (lagna), meaning “to touch, to stick, to adhere.
Nepaliतुरुन्त
The Sanskrit word 'turantam' means 'immediately' and is the source of the Nepali word 'तुरुन्त'.
Punjabiਤੁਰੰਤ
The word "turant" in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "turanta," which means "speedily," and can also refer to "the immediate present" or "the present moment."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වහාම
"වහාම" (immediately) is also used to mean "quickly".
Tamilஉடனடியாக
Teluguతక్షణమే
"తక్షణమే" can also mean "without delay" or "instantly" in Telugu.
Urduفوری طور پر
The word "فوری طور پر" can also mean "at once" or "without delay".

Immediately in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)立即
The word "立即" can also mean "immediately".
Chinese (Traditional)立即
Also used in the sense of "at once", "right now".
Japaneseすぐに
The root of "すぐに" is not "直ぐ", but "速" (swift).
Korean바로
바로 comes from the Sino-Korean word "바로" meaning "straight" or "directly", and is also used as a modifier to indicate "direct" or "without delay".
Mongolianнэн даруй
"Нэн даруй" is used in Mongolian to emphasize immediacy, and can also carry meanings of "straight away" or "right now".
Myanmar (Burmese)ချက်ချင်း

Immediately in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansegera
The word 'segera' is derived from the Sanskrit word
Javanesesanalika
The word "sanalika" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "sanalika" which means "instantaneously" or "in a moment".
Khmerភ្លាម
The word "ភ្លាម" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "prāṇa" meaning "breath" or "life force", and is also related to the Thai word "ปลาม" (plām) meaning "to flash" or "to gleam".
Laoທັນທີ
The word ທັນທີ is derived from the Pali word "ṭanti" meaning "instantly" or "without delay."
Malaysegera
The Malay word "segera" (meaning "immediately") is cognate with the Latin "celer" (meaning "fast") and the Sanskrit "śighra" (meaning "quick").
Thaiทันที
ทันที can also mean "right away," "soon," or "at once."
Vietnamesengay
The word "ngay" can also be used to refer to the present day or time period.
Filipino (Tagalog)kaagad

Immediately in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanidərhal
The word "dərhal" comes from the Arabic word "darūra", meaning "necessity" or "urgency". In Ottoman Turkish, "dərhal" also meant "at once" or "without delay".
Kazakhдереу
"Дереу" derives from the ancient Turkic root "er", meaning "to get up" or "to move quickly."
Kyrgyzдароо
The word "дароо" (daro'o) in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "darogh" ( دروغ ), meaning "falsehood" or "lie".
Tajikфавран
The word "фавран" is derived from the Persian word "فوراً" (fuvran), which also means "immediately".
Turkmenderrew
Uzbekdarhol
The word 'darhol' in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word 'dar al' meaning "in the place of" or "at the time of".
Uyghurدەرھال

Immediately in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankoke
Koke also means the 'throat' in Hawaiian; to catch one's koke is to surprise them.
Maoritonu
In modern Māori, the word "tonu" can also indicate "still," "yet," or "continuously."
Samoanvave
Vave is also used to indicate the recent past or the imminent future.
Tagalog (Filipino)kaagad
"Kaagad" is derived from the Tagalog word "agad," which means "swift" or "fast."

Immediately in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajank'akipuni
Guaraniag̃aiténtema

Immediately in International Languages

Esperantotuj
The word "tuj" in Esperanto comes from the Yiddish word טויאך (toyakh).
Latinstatim
'Statim' also means 'on the spot' or 'at that particular place' in Latin.

Immediately in Others Languages

Greekαμέσως
The word αμέσως comes from the ancient Greek words 'ᾰ̓- ' (not) and 'μέσως' (middle), meaning not in the middle, or directly.
Hmongtam sim ntawd
The Hmong word "tam sim ntawd" can also refer to "this moment" or "right now."
Kurdishderhal
'Derhal' is derived from the Persian word 'dar al', meaning 'in the house'.
Turkishhemen
The word "hemen" may derive from the Arabic preposition "hunnā" meaning "over there" or "at that place".
Xhosangoko nangoko
The Xhosa word "ngoko nangoko" is derived from the verb "ngokoza," meaning "to move quickly or urgently."
Yiddishגלייך
"גלייך" is ultimately the German "gleich," but in Yiddish is also a euphemism for "right now" to avoid saying the name of God too often.
Zulungokushesha
"Ngokushesha" also means "quickly" or "in a hurry".
Assameseততালিকে
Aymarajank'akipuni
Bhojpuriतुरंत
Dhivehiވަގުތުން
Dogriफौरन
Filipino (Tagalog)kaagad
Guaraniag̃aiténtema
Ilocanodagus
Kriowantɛm wantɛm
Kurdish (Sorani)دەستبەجێ
Maithiliझटपट
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯈꯨꯗꯛꯇ
Mizorangtakin
Oromoyerosuma
Odia (Oriya)ତୁରନ୍ତ
Quechuachayllapuni
Sanskritझटिति
Tatarшунда ук
Tigrinyaብቀጥታ
Tsongahi xihatla

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