Impossible in different languages

Impossible in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'impossible' is a powerful one, denoting something that cannot be done or attained. Yet, throughout history, time and again, humans have proven that the 'impossible' is often just a challenge waiting to be overcome. From the Wright brothers' first flight to the moon landing, 'impossible' feats have shaped our world.

Moreover, the cultural significance of 'impossible' is not limited to English. This concept is universal, and many languages have their own unique ways of expressing it. For instance, in Spanish, 'impossible' translates to 'imposible', while in French, it's 'impossible'. These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also highlight the shared human experience of encountering and overcoming the 'impossible'.

Understanding the translation of 'impossible' in different languages can provide valuable cultural insights and even inspire us to redefine our own limitations. So, let's explore how various languages grapple with the concept of the 'impossible'.

Impossible


Impossible in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansonmoontlik
Onmoontlik derives from Dutch "onmogelijk" and is a combination of the prefixes "on" and "moont", which mean "not" and "possible", respectively.
Amharicየማይቻል
The root 'አል' means 'not', while 'ቻል' means 'possible', making 'የማይቻል' literally 'not possible'.
Hausaba zai yiwu ba
The word "ba zai yiwu ba", meaning "impossible", in Hausa is etymologically related to the phrase "ba za a yiwu ba", meaning "it will not be possible".
Igboagaghị ekwe omume
When an Igbo native says something is 'agaghị ekwe omume', they may be referring to more than just its impossibility but also its absurdity or improbability.
Malagasyazo atao
In Malagasy, "azo atao" can also refer to something that is difficult or challenging
Nyanja (Chichewa)zosatheka
The word "zosatheka" has several alternate meanings including "impossible" but the root is actually "zosatheka" in a non-physical sense.
Shonazvisingaite
Zvisingaite in Shona is also used to describe something that is not possible to happen or something that is very difficult to do.
Somaliaan macquul ahayn
"Aan macquul ahayn" literally translates to "not being reasonable" in Somali, highlighting the idea of impossibility as something beyond the bounds of logic and reason.
Sesothokhoneha
The word "khoneha" also means "unbelievable" or "unthinkable" in Sesotho.
Swahilihaiwezekani
Haiwezekani derives from the negative form of the verb 'weza' ('to be able'), thus literally meaning 'it is not possible'.
Xhosaayinakwenzeka
The Xhosa word “ayinakwenzeka” translates into English as “cannot be done,” and is derived from “ayina” (not) and “kwenzeka” (happen).
Yorubako ṣee ṣe
"Ko si ese" literally means "there is no leg" in Yoruba, indicating the inability to move or progress, making it synonymous with "impossible."
Zuluakunakwenzeka
The name 'akunakwenzeka' translates to 'not capable of being done' in Zulu.
Bambaraabada
Ewemate ŋu adzɔ o
Kinyarwandantibishoboka
Lingalaekoki kosalema te
Lugandatekisoboka
Sepedisa kgonagalego
Twi (Akan)ɛnyɛ yie

Impossible in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicغير ممكن
In Arabic, "غير ممكن" (impossible) literally means "other than possible".
Hebrewבלתי אפשרי
"בלתי אפשרי" in Hebrew literally means "without the possible".
Pashtoناممکن
The word "ناممکن" also refers to something that is unlikely to happen or is highly improbable.
Arabicغير ممكن
In Arabic, "غير ممكن" (impossible) literally means "other than possible".

Impossible in Western European Languages

Albaniane pamundur
E pamundur is thought to have originated from the Greek word "adunaton," meaning "unattainable" or "impossible."
Basqueezinezkoa
The word "ezinezkoa" is related to the Basque word "ezin" (cannot), which is also used in the negative forms of verbs.
Catalanimpossible
"Impossible" in Catalan originally meant "not possible" but has now taken on the stronger meaning of "impossible".
Croatiannemoguće
Nemoć, meaning 'inability' in Croatian, is related to the word nemoguće ('impossible').
Danishumulig
"Umulig" comes from the old Norse word "u-mœguligr," meaning "not mighty."
Dutchonmogelijk
Despite its similarity, 'onmogelijk' is not connected to 'im possible', its roots are in 'mogelijk' (possible) preceded by 'on-' (not).
Englishimpossible
The word "impossible" comes from the Latin words "in-" (not) and "possibilis" (possible), meaning "not possible".
Frenchimpossible
In French, the word "impossible" can also mean "unrealistic" or "very difficult".
Frisianûnmooglik
The Frisian word "ûnmooglik" is ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *un- + *mug- (
Galicianimposible
The Galician word "imposible" derives from the Latin "impossibilis", meaning "not possible".
Germanunmöglich
The German word "unmöglich" is formed from two roots meaning "not" and "possible," but its original meaning was not simply "impossible."
Icelandicómögulegt
The Icelandic word "ómögulegt" literally translates to "not meeting".
Irishdodhéanta
The Irish word "dodhéanta" derives from the Old Irish "do dénta," meaning "not permitted" or "outlawed."
Italianimpossibile
The Italian word "impossibile" derives from the Latin phrase "in" (not) and "possibilis" (possible), and can also mean "unlikely" or "difficult" rather than strictly impossible.
Luxembourgishonméiglech
The word "onméiglech" derives from the Middle High German word "unmüglich", meaning "not possible".
Malteseimpossibbli
"Impossibbli" derives from the Latin word "impossibilis" (im + possibilis), meaning not possible.
Norwegianumulig
The word "umulig" may have originated from the Old Norse word "úmegligr," meaning "without leisure time" or "unable to do something due to lack of time."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)impossível
The Portuguese word "impossível" comes from the Latin word "impossibilis" which means "that cannot be done".
Scots Gaelicdo-dhèanta
"Do-dhèanta" derives from "deach", the Gaelic root meaning both "done" and "to be possible," and can also be used to imply "finished," "complete," or "dead".
Spanishimposible
The word "imposible" in Spanish comes from the Latin phrase "in posse", meaning "in potential" and conveys the notion that something might be within one's abilities.
Swedishomöjlig
"Omöjlig" comes from the Old Swedish "möja", meaning "possible".
Welshamhosib
Amhosib comes from amddif + hosib and literally means "without expectation" in Welsh.

Impossible in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianнемагчыма
The suffix "ма" is often used in Belarusian to create abstract nouns that refer to situations, processes, or states.
Bosniannemoguće
The word 'nemoguće' derives from the Old Slavic root 'moči' which also meant 'power', and thus 'nemoguće' originally carried a connotation that something is literally 'beyond one's power'.
Bulgarianневъзможен
"Невъзможен" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic prefix "не" (not) and the root "възможно" (that is possible). In modern Bulgarian, "невъзможен" can also mean difficult or improbable.
Czechnemožné
The word "nemožné" in Czech originated from the Latin phrase "non posse", meaning "not to be able".
Estonianvõimatu
"Võimatu" is derived from the word "võim", meaning "power" or "ability", and "tu", meaning "lack" or "absence".
Finnishmahdotonta
The word "mahdotonta" likely comes from the Finnish word "mahd", meaning "can, able".
Hungarianlehetetlen
The Hungarian word "lehetetlen" derives from the verb "lehet" (can) and the suffix "-etlen" (unable), signifying its opposite meaning.
Latvianneiespējami
The word "neiespējami" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *nes-, meaning "not" or "no".
Lithuanianneįmanomas
The word "neįmanomas" is derived from the negation "ne-" and the root "įmanoma"," which means "possible," and therefore literally means "not possible."
Macedonianневозможно
The word "невозможно" (impossible) is derived from the root "мож" (to be able), prefixed with the negative "не" and the suffix "-ен" (indicating a passive state), suggesting that something is not within one's power.
Polishniemożliwy
The Polish word "niemożliwy" comes from the Old Polish "nie možny," meaning literally "unable."
Romanianimposibil
The Romanian word "imposibil" is derived from the Latin word "impossibilis", meaning "not possible". The prefix "im" in Latin means "not" or "opposite", and the root "possibilis" means "possible".
Russianневозможно
The Russian word "невозможно" can also refer to something unusual or unexpected.
Serbianнемогуће
The Serbian word "немогуће" (impossible) is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *nemogǫ, meaning "helpless" or "unable to do something."
Slovaknemožné
The word "nemožné" in Slovak comes from the Latin "non posse", meaning "not to be able to".
Sloveniannemogoče
Nemo is Latin for "nobody," and "goče" is the Slovene root for "speech".
Ukrainianнеможливо
The word "неможливо" in Ukrainian is derived from the Old East Slavic word "немог", meaning "powerless" or "weak". The root "мог" means "to be able" or "to can". Thus, "неможливо" literally means "unable" or "powerless".

Impossible in South Asian Languages

Bengaliঅসম্ভব
The Bangla word 'অসম্ভব' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'असंभव', which literally means 'not possible'.
Gujaratiઅશક્ય
"અશક્ય" is derived from the Sanskrit words "na" (not), "shak" (to be able), and "ya" (suffix), meaning literally "not able to be."
Hindiअसंभव
The Hindi word असंभव (asambhava) contains the negative prefix असं (asam) and the noun संभव (sambhava) meaning 'possibility', and thus literally means 'non-possibility'.
Kannadaಅಸಾಧ್ಯ
The word "ಅಸಾಧ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "असाध्य" which means "incurable" or "invincible".
Malayalamഅസാധ്യമാണ്
The word അസാധ്യമാണ് (asādhyamāṇ) derives from the Sanskrit roots 'a-' (lacking) and 'sādhya' (feasible), meaning 'that which cannot be accomplished'.
Marathiअशक्य
The word 'अशक्य' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shakya', which means 'possible', and the negative prefix 'a', which means 'not'.
Nepaliअसम्भव
"असम्भव" comes from the Sanskrit word "asambhavya," meaning "not to happen".
Punjabiਅਸੰਭਵ
The word "ਅਸੰਭਵ" can also mean "improbable" or "unlikely" in Punjabi, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "asambhava," meaning "non-existence" or "absence of means."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කළ නොහැකි
Tamilசாத்தியமற்றது
In addition to its primary meaning of "impossible," "சாத்தியமற்றது" can also refer to "improbable" or "unsuitable."
Teluguఅసాధ్యం
In addition to meaning 'impossible,' the word 'asadhyam' also means 'unachievable,' 'impracticable,' or 'infeasible' in Telugu.
Urduناممکن
The word "ناممکن" literally means "not possible" in Urdu.

Impossible in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)不可能
The word "不可能" also means "inconceivable" and "unlikely" in Chinese.
Chinese (Traditional)不可能
In addition to its primary meaning of "impossible," 不可能 can also colloquially suggest "very difficult" or "unbelievable."
Japanese不可能な
"不可能な" can also mean "unlikely" or "improbable".
Korean불가능한
불가능한 has its roots in the Buddhist concept of sunyata, or emptiness, suggesting that nothing is truly impossible from a certain perspective.
Mongolianболомжгүй
The Mongolian word боломжгүй (impossible) was used during the Stalinist era to silence criticism.
Myanmar (Burmese)မဖြစ်နိုင်ဘူး

Impossible in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmustahil
The word "mustahil" originated from the Arabic word "mustahīl" and can also mean "difficult" or "hard to achieve".
Javanesemokal
"Mokal" can also mean "hard to obtain" or "sacred item."
Khmerមិនអាចទៅរួចទេ
Laoເປັນໄປບໍ່ໄດ້
The Lao word for 'impossible' can also mean 'it can't be done' or 'it's not possible'. The word is made up of the verb 'ເປັນ' (to be) and the noun 'ໄປ' (to go).
Malaymustahil
The word 'mustahil' is derived from the Arabic word 'mustahil', which means 'unlikely' or 'difficult to achieve'.
Thaiเป็นไปไม่ได้
The word "เป็นไปไม่ได้" is derived from the word "เป็นไป" meaning "to be able" and the word "ได้" meaning "possible".
Vietnamesekhông thể nào
The Vietnamese word “Không thể nào” (impossible) shares its roots with the word “nhau” (each other)
Filipino (Tagalog)imposible

Impossible in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniqeyri-mümkün
"Qeyri" is derived from Persian and means "non-", "mümkün" is derived from Arabic and means "possible".
Kazakhмүмкін емес
The word "мүмкін емес" comes from the Persian word "ممكن نيست" which means "not possible" or "cannot be done".
Kyrgyzмүмкүн эмес
The Kyrgyz word "мүмкүн эмес" ("impossible") is derived from the Arabic word "impossible" and has its etymology in several other languages.
Tajikномумкин
The word "номумкин" can also mean "inconceivable" or "unthinkable" in Tajik.
Turkmenmümkin däl
Uzbekimkonsiz
The word "imkonsiz" is derived from the Persian word "imkan", meaning "possibility" or "ability", and the suffix "-siz", meaning "without".
Uyghurمۇمكىن ئەمەس

Impossible in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianhiki ʻole
In Hawaiian, "hiki ʻole" literally means "cannot move" or "does not go."
Maorikore e taea
The word 'kore e taea' can also be translated as 'can't be done' in English.
Samoanlē mafai
The word "lē mafai" in Samoan does not literally mean "impossible," but rather "cannot be done in a particular way or under certain circumstances."
Tagalog (Filipino)imposible
"Posible" is the root word of "imposible" and it means "possible" in Tagalog.

Impossible in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraimpusiwli
Guaraniikatu'ỹva

Impossible in International Languages

Esperantoneebla
The word "neebla" has been used in Esperanto since at least 1905, but is also used to mean "unclear, indistinct".
Latinpotest
"Potest" can mean "able to" or "possible" in Latin.

Impossible in Others Languages

Greekαδύνατο
The word 'αδύνατο' in Greek also means 'feeble' or 'impracticable'.
Hmongtsis yooj yim sua
This phrase is derived from the idea of "to separate and throw away".
Kurdishnemimkûn
The word "nemimkûn" originates from Persian, composed of the negative prefix "na-" and the word "imkân" meaning "possibility, chance, capability."
Turkishimkansız
The word "imkansız" derives from the Arabic word "imkân" (possibility), and literally means "lack of possibility".
Xhosaayinakwenzeka
The Xhosa word “ayinakwenzeka” translates into English as “cannot be done,” and is derived from “ayina” (not) and “kwenzeka” (happen).
Yiddishאוממעגלעך
The Yiddish word "אוממעגלעך" (impossible) shares its root with the German word "möglich" (possible), suggesting a reversal of meaning over time.
Zuluakunakwenzeka
The name 'akunakwenzeka' translates to 'not capable of being done' in Zulu.
Assameseঅসম্ভৱ
Aymaraimpusiwli
Bhojpuriअसंभव
Dhivehiނުކުރެވޭ
Dogriना-मुमकन
Filipino (Tagalog)imposible
Guaraniikatu'ỹva
Ilocanoimposible
Krionɔ pɔsibul
Kurdish (Sorani)نەگونجاو
Maithiliअसंभव
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯣꯏꯊꯣꯛꯂꯣꯏꯗꯕ
Mizotheihloh
Oromokan hin danda'amne
Odia (Oriya)ଅସମ୍ଭବ
Quechuamana atina
Sanskritअसंभवः
Tatarмөмкин түгел
Tigrinyaዘይክኣል
Tsongakoteki

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