Inform in Different Languages
Discover 'Inform' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'inform', derived from the Latin 'informare' meaning to shape or form, has taken on a significant meaning in modern English. To inform is to communicate knowledge or news to someone, providing them with the necessary information to make informed decisions. This simple act of sharing knowledge has been a cornerstone of human culture and civilization, fostering cooperation, innovation, and understanding.
Throughout history, the sharing of information has allowed societies to progress and thrive. From the ancient libraries of Alexandria to the modern-day internet, our ability to inform and be informed has been a driving force behind some of humanity's greatest achievements. Moreover, the word 'inform' has been adopted and adapted into many different languages, reflecting its cultural importance and universal appeal.
For instance, in Spanish, 'informar' means to notify or communicate, while in French, 'informer' means to inform or to notify. In German, 'informieren' means to inform oneself or to gather information, and in Japanese, 'インフォーム' (infōmu) is a direct phonetic transcription of the English word.
Below, you will find a comprehensive list of translations for the word 'inform' in a variety of languages, providing a small glimpse into the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of our world.
Inform
Inform in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | inlig | ||
| Afrikaans "inlig" is derived from Dutch "inlichten" (to inform), which in turn comes from German "einleuchten" (to enlighten). | |||
| Amharic | አሳውቅ | ||
| As a causative form of the verb አወቀ 'know,' አሳውቅ can also mean 'cause to know' or 'make aware'. | |||
| Hausa | sanar | ||
| The word "sanar" evolved from a Middle Arabic loanword "sanara", which means "to tell". | |||
| Igbo | gwa | ||
| "Gwa" in Igbo can also refer to the process of making something known, revealing a secret, or notifying someone of an event. | |||
| Malagasy | hampahafantarana | ||
| The Malagasy word "hampahafantarana" is derived from the root "hampahafantatra," which also means "to know" or "to understand." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dziwitsani | ||
| The word "dziwitsani" in Nyanja can also mean "to spread the word" or "to make something known". | |||
| Shona | zivisa | ||
| 'Zivisa' is also a type of bird. | |||
| Somali | wargeli | ||
| The word "wargeli" in Somali can also refer to a type of bird, specifically the guinea fowl. | |||
| Sesotho | tsebisa | ||
| The verb "tsebisa" also means "to cause someone to know something" or "to make someone aware of something" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kuwajulisha | ||
| Kuwajulisha in Swahili derives from the verb 'ju' which means "to know" and the prefix "kwa" which creates the infinitive form of the verb, making "kuwajulisha" mean literally "to cause to know" or "to make aware." | |||
| Xhosa | yazisa | ||
| The word "yazisa" in Xhosa does not have any alternate meanings known to me. | |||
| Yoruba | sọfun | ||
| The Yoruba word 'sọfun' also has the meaning 'to warn'. | |||
| Zulu | yazisa | ||
| The word 'yazisa' in Zulu can also mean 'to write' or 'to compose' something. | |||
| Bambara | ka kunnafoniya | ||
| Ewe | na kaklã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | menyesha | ||
| Lingala | koyebisa | ||
| Luganda | okutegeeza | ||
| Sepedi | tsebiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yi asotire | ||
Inform in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إبلاغ | ||
| إبلاغ derives from the root “بلّغ,” meaning “to reach” or “to convey,” akin to the ancient Egyptian word “ba,” which means “to convey” or “to transmit information”. | |||
| Hebrew | לדווח | ||
| The verb "לדווח" (inform) shares a root with the word "דבור" (speech) and can also mean "converse". | |||
| Pashto | خبرول | ||
| خبرول also means "to tell" or "to inform" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | إبلاغ | ||
| إبلاغ derives from the root “بلّغ,” meaning “to reach” or “to convey,” akin to the ancient Egyptian word “ba,” which means “to convey” or “to transmit information”. | |||
Inform in Western European Languages
| Albanian | informoj | ||
| The word 'informoj' in Albanian is derived from the Latin word 'informare', meaning 'to give form or shape'. | |||
| Basque | jakinarazi | ||
| The Basque word "jakinarazi" shares an etymology with "jakin" (know) and "erazi" (proclaim), implying both the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge. | |||
| Catalan | informar | ||
| The verb "informar" in Catalan derives from the Latin "informare", meaning "to give form" or "to shape". | |||
| Croatian | obavijestiti | ||
| The verb 'obavijestiti' derives from the noun 'obavijest' which means 'information' and has the same root as 'vijest' which means 'news'. | |||
| Danish | informere | ||
| The Danish word 'informere' comes from the Latin 'informare', meaning 'to give form to' | |||
| Dutch | informeren | ||
| The Dutch word "informeren" also has the meaning "to question". | |||
| English | inform | ||
| The word 'inform' derives from the Latin word 'informare', meaning to give form or shape. | |||
| French | informer | ||
| In French, the word "informer" also means "to educate" or "to instruct". | |||
| Frisian | ynformearje | ||
| The Frisian word "ynformearje" is derived from the Latin word "informare", meaning "to give form or shape to something." | |||
| Galician | informar | ||
| In Galician, "informar" also means "to give legal notice; to notify or summon legally". | |||
| German | informieren | ||
| From French 'informer', Latin 'informare', combining 'in': inside (into) + 'formare': to form (shape). | |||
| Icelandic | upplýsa | ||
| Upplýsa is the Icelandic word for 'inform' and is etymologically related to 'lýsi' and 'lýsa', which means 'light, shine' | |||
| Irish | eolas | ||
| The Irish word "eolas" shares a root with the word "eile," meaning "other," hinting at the concept of information as something that differs from what is already known. | |||
| Italian | far sapere | ||
| "Far sapere" ('to let know') in Italian contains the root "sapere" (knowledge): "sapere" is the word for "flavor", and ultimately derives from the concept of 'wisdom' or 'to test' or 'perceive'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | informéieren | ||
| Maltese | tinforma | ||
| In the Arabic from which it is derived, the word "tinforma" has additional meanings such as "shape" or "create". | |||
| Norwegian | informere | ||
| In Norwegian, "informere" is also used to refer to the legal process of declaring someone incompetent or bankrupt. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | informar | ||
| In Portuguese, "informar" can also mean "to provide information", "to report", or "to advise". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fiosrachadh | ||
| Spanish | informar | ||
| Informar also carries the meaning of providing shape or form to something. | |||
| Swedish | underrätta | ||
| The word 'underrätta' originates from the Old Norse word '"undirretta"' meaning 'to announce' or 'to report'. | |||
| Welsh | hysbysu | ||
| The word "hysbysu" is derived from the same root as the Latin word "scire" which means "to know". | |||
Inform in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | інфармаваць | ||
| "Інфармаваць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*vorъm'i", meaning "to speak". | |||
| Bosnian | informirati | ||
| The word "informirati" is derived from the French word "informer" which means "to give information". | |||
| Bulgarian | информирам | ||
| The Bulgarian word "информирам" originates from the French word "informer" and has the same meaning, as well as the alternative meaning of "to notify". | |||
| Czech | informovat | ||
| In Czech, the word "informovat" is derived from the Latin word "informare", meaning "to give form or shape". | |||
| Estonian | teavitama | ||
| Derived from the verb "teatama" (to make known). | |||
| Finnish | ilmoittaa | ||
| The verb "ilmoittaa" in Finnish also means "to register" or "to announce". | |||
| Hungarian | tájékoztatni | ||
| The Hungarian word "tájékoztatni" comes from the Old Hungarian word for "orientation" and originally meant "to point out the right direction." | |||
| Latvian | informēt | ||
| In Latvian, "informēt" also means "to educate" or "to give knowledge to someone." | |||
| Lithuanian | informuoti | ||
| 'Informuoti' is a Lithuanian word that has been influenced by the French term 'informer', also meaning 'to inform', and shares the same Latin root 'informare', implying 'to give form to' | |||
| Macedonian | информираат | ||
| **Etymology:** from French *informer* or Latin *informare* (to give form) | |||
| Polish | poinformować | ||
| Poinformować derives from the verb formare, used in Latin to refer to giving shape to something, hence creating something from nothing. | |||
| Romanian | informa | ||
| The Romanian word "informa" comes from the Latin word "informare", meaning "to shape" or "to give form to." | |||
| Russian | поставить в известность | ||
| The word "поставить в известность" can also mean "to make it known" or "to inform the authorities"} | |||
| Serbian | обавести | ||
| The Serbian word "обавести" can also mean "to announce" or "to declare". | |||
| Slovak | informovať | ||
| The Slovak word "informovať" derives from the Latin "informare", meaning "to give form to" or "to shape." | |||
| Slovenian | obvestiti | ||
| The word "obvestiti" in Slovenian can also mean "to advertise" or "to declare". | |||
| Ukrainian | інформувати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "інформувати" (inform) comes from the Latin word "informare", which means "to give form to" or "to shape". | |||
Inform in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অবহিত করা | ||
| "অবহিত করা" (to inform) is a compound of the negative particle "অন-" and "বহন" (to bear), therefore it literally means 'not to carry', 'to leave alone' | |||
| Gujarati | જાણ કરો | ||
| "જાણ કરો" is derived from the Sanskrit word "jñā", meaning "knowledge", and "karta", meaning "to do". | |||
| Hindi | सूचित करना | ||
| सूचित करना also means "to point out" or "to indicate" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ತಿಳಿಸಿ | ||
| The word "ತಿಳಿಸಿ" in Kannada is also used to mean "to enlighten" or "to educate". | |||
| Malayalam | അറിയിക്കുക | ||
| The term 'അറിയിക്കുക' also means 'to convey', 'to let know', and 'to give notice'. | |||
| Marathi | माहिती द्या | ||
| The Marathi word "माहिती द्या" ("inform") is derived from the Sanskrit word "माहिती" ("knowledge"), which in turn comes from the root "मा" ("to measure"). | |||
| Nepali | सूचित गर्नुहोस् | ||
| "सूचित गर्नुहोस्" means "inform" in English, and comes from the Sanskrit word "सूचयति," which means "to make known". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැනුම් දෙන්න | ||
| Tamil | தகவல் | ||
| The word "தகவல்" in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word "tattva," meaning "knowledge." | |||
| Telugu | తెలియజేయండి | ||
| Urdu | آگاہ کرنا | ||
| آگاھکرنا، فارسی معنی منظور معنی نشان دنا لغت های نشان بتا آگھکرنا نہیں معنیں وسیعت نمودند نشاندهی معنیں آغاھکر نهیں مالوم نهی ابتداءھی معنیں منبهنا پاا باتا منبهنا، متعلقة ضائره کر تجاوز کار بندهگی نہیں نشان آغازه کر اباد کرنا بھی کارائیں معنی بتا آگاھکرنا نهیں معنی نشان نشن معنی نشن اعلان دغلی بھیزجھیں معنیں آغاھکرنا کا روانات علمانی معنیں مجبور کرنا نهیں آگاھکرنا، ماعنیں معنی بھی عبدوللاھیں معنی اسلائلا، معنی معنی بفرماندے کا نشانده کر نشان دنه کر دنا، متعلق ضائر کرنا بند کر آغاھکرنا، معنیں معنی الام کار دوروبازا، قبیل سوم دو بتائیں، جبرا الله، متعلق ضائر کرنا بند کرا آگاھکرنا، معنیں معنی الامه کارنا، باعتمادھی، | |||
Inform in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 通知 | ||
| "通知" is also used in the sense of "announcement". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 通知 | ||
| 通知 can also mean "to notify" and "to announce." | |||
| Japanese | 通知する | ||
| "通知" is a noun meaning "notification", "notice" or "announcement", while the verb form "通知する" means "to inform", "to let know" or "to notify." | |||
| Korean | 알리다 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word "알리다" is an example of a borrowed term from Classical Chinese, where it means "to instruct, inform, advise, make known". | |||
| Mongolian | мэдээлэх | ||
| The Mongolian word "мэдээлэх" also means "to instruct", "to educate", or "to make known". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သတင်း | ||
Inform in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memberitahu | ||
| The word "memberitahu" in Indonesian comes from the word "beritahu", which means "to give news". | |||
| Javanese | maringi informasi | ||
| The word "maringi informasi" can also mean "to notify" or "to let someone know". | |||
| Khmer | ជូនដំណឹង | ||
| The word "ជូនដំណឹង" is also used to refer to giving news, messages, or a signal. | |||
| Lao | ແຈ້ງໃຫ້ຊາບ | ||
| Malay | memaklumkan | ||
| The word "memaklumkan" is derived from the Arabic word "ilm", meaning "knowledge", and is related to the word "maklumat", meaning "information". | |||
| Thai | แจ้ง | ||
| The word แจ้ง also means "clear" or "bright" in some contexts. | |||
| Vietnamese | thông báo | ||
| The word "thông báo" in Vietnamese can also refer to a formal announcement or notice. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ipaalam | ||
Inform in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məlumat vermək | ||
| The word "məlumat vermək" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "malūmāt" meaning "knowledge", and the Turkish verb "vermek" meaning "to give" | |||
| Kazakh | хабарлау | ||
| The word "хабарлау" is derived from the Kazakh word "хабар," which means "news," and is also related to the Persian word "khabar," which means "information" or "message." | |||
| Kyrgyz | маалымат берүү | ||
| Tajik | хабар додан | ||
| The word "хабар додан" in Tajik can also mean "to give a bribe" or "to report on someone to the authorities". | |||
| Turkmen | habar ber | ||
| Uzbek | xabar bermoq | ||
| The Uzbek word "xabar bermoq" also means "to give news" and "to tell a story". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇچۇر قىلىڭ | ||
Inform in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomaopopo | ||
| ʻO 'Maopopo' means 'clear' or 'understand,' therefore 'hoʻomaopopo' means 'to make clear' or 'cause to understand'. | |||
| Maori | whakamōhio | ||
| "Whakamōhio" derives from the word for "knowledge" (mōhio) and the causative prefix "whaka-", suggesting an action of "causing knowledge" or "imparting information." | |||
| Samoan | taʻu | ||
| Sam. **taʻu** is a verb meaning **to inform**, **to give notice**, **to report**, **to tell**, **to reveal** **a secret**, or **to accuse**; the cognate Maori word has also been given a more modern meaning of **to insult**. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ipaalam | ||
| Ipáalam (from ipa'd + alam "know") originally meant to make something known and understandable to someone who does not know. | |||
Inform in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatiyaña | ||
| Guarani | momarandu | ||
Inform in International Languages
| Esperanto | informi | ||
| The Esperanto word "informi" (inform) derives from the Latin "informare" (to form or shape), and also means "to give form or shape to" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | certiorem facere | ||
| "Certiorem facere" is derived from Latin "certus" (certain) and "facere" (to make) and has also been used in legal contexts to mean "to put on notice" | |||
Inform in Others Languages
| Greek | πληροφορώ | ||
| The verb "πληροφορώ" derives from the conjunction "πλην" (but) and the noun "φόρος" (tribute, tax) and initially meant "to pay a tax except for". Therefore, to "πληροφορώ" one should be completely aware of what is being said. | |||
| Hmong | qhia | ||
| The Hmong word "qhia" can also mean "disclose" or "tell". | |||
| Kurdish | agahdayin | ||
| The word 'agahdayin' is derived from the Persian word 'agah', meaning 'informed' or 'aware'. | |||
| Turkish | bilgi vermek | ||
| "Bilgi vermek" has a literal meaning of "to give knowledge" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | yazisa | ||
| The word "yazisa" in Xhosa does not have any alternate meanings known to me. | |||
| Yiddish | מיטטיילן | ||
| The Yiddish word "מיטטיילן" has the alternate meaning of "to tell a secret". | |||
| Zulu | yazisa | ||
| The word 'yazisa' in Zulu can also mean 'to write' or 'to compose' something. | |||
| Assamese | অৱগত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | yatiyaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सूचित करीं | ||
| Dhivehi | އެންގުން | ||
| Dogri | जानकारी देना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ipaalam | ||
| Guarani | momarandu | ||
| Ilocano | pakaammoan | ||
| Krio | tɛl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاگادار کردنەوە | ||
| Maithili | सूचना देनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯎ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hriattir | ||
| Oromo | beeksisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୂଚନା ଦେବା | ||
| Quechua | willay | ||
| Sanskrit | नि- विद् | ||
| Tatar | хәбәр итегез | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሕባር | ||
| Tsonga | tivisa | ||