Let in Different Languages
Discover 'Let' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'let' is a small but powerful part of many languages, including English. It can serve as a helping verb, giving life to a sentence's action, or as a noun, referring to a period of time in sports like tennis. But 'let's' explore its significance and cultural importance beyond English borders.
Translating 'let' into different languages reveals the richness of the world's linguistic diversity. For instance, in Spanish, 'let' can be translated to 'dejar' or 'dejad' depending on the context. In German, 'lasst' is the equivalent, while in French, you might say 'laissez'. These variations show how a simple word can take on new forms and functions in various languages and cultures.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'let' in different languages can enhance your cross-cultural communication skills and deepen your appreciation for the world's diverse languages and cultures. So, let's delve into the fascinating world of 'let' in different languages!
Let
Let in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | laat | ||
| The Afrikaans word "laat" is derived from the Proto-West Germanic verb *latan, meaning "to delay" or "to hinder". Its alternate meaning in English is "to permit" or "to allow". | |||
| Amharic | እንሂድ | ||
| The Amharic verb "እንሂድ" can also mean "to go" or "to leave". | |||
| Hausa | bari | ||
| "Bari" can also be translated as permission or allowance, depending on the context. | |||
| Igbo | ka | ||
| "Ka" is also an imperative particle that can convey a call to action or an exhortation. | |||
| Malagasy | aoka | ||
| The word "aoka" can also mean "allow" or "enable". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | lolani | ||
| This term is also an abbreviation of the Nyanja phrase **lolani ndipite**, which means 'allow me to pass'. | |||
| Shona | regai | ||
| The word "regai" can also mean "to give permission" or "to allow" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ha | ||
| The word "ha" can also mean "give" or "offer" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | tlohella | ||
| The word "tlohella" can also be used to mean "allow", "permit" or "leave something alone". | |||
| Swahili | acha | ||
| The Swahili word "acha" can also mean "leave" or "abandon". | |||
| Xhosa | vumela | ||
| Vumela also means "to make a way" or "to open a path" in Xhosa, reflecting its role in providing permission or creating opportunities. | |||
| Yoruba | jẹ ki | ||
| "Jẹ ki" may also mean "to be," or serve as the future tense.} | |||
| Zulu | ake | ||
| 'Ake' is homophonous with and has the same meaning as 'dela', which means 'leave'. In the same way, there is a verb 'yeki' which derives from 'yika' (wash) but whose meaning is 'leave'. This pattern is repeated in other pairs of verbs, such as 'goda' (praise) and 'yoda' (leave) | |||
| Bambara | ka to | ||
| Ewe | na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | reka | ||
| Lingala | kotika | ||
| Luganda | leka | ||
| Sepedi | dumelela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ma | ||
Let in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دع | ||
| دع can also mean 'invite', 'call' or 'summon' in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לתת | ||
| The word לתת can also mean 'to give', 'to allow', 'to permit', 'to grant', or 'to assign'. | |||
| Pashto | اجازه راکړئ | ||
| The Pashto word “اجازه راکړئ” (“let”) also means “permission” or “leave”. | |||
| Arabic | دع | ||
| دع can also mean 'invite', 'call' or 'summon' in Arabic. | |||
Let in Western European Languages
| Albanian | le të | ||
| Derived from the Latin "licere", meaning "to be allowed" or "to be possible". | |||
| Basque | utzi | ||
| "Utzi" can also mean "leave", "allow" or "give up" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | deixar | ||
| The verb "deixar" can also mean "to leave" or "to abandon" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | neka | ||
| The word "neka" can also mean "a little" or "a bit" in Croatian, e.g. "Neka vode" means "a little bit of water". | |||
| Danish | lade | ||
| The word “lade” originally referred to “letting” something fall or making something fall. | |||
| Dutch | laat | ||
| Het woord "laat" betekent naast "laten" ook "pas". Het komt van het Oud-Nederlandse "late", dat afgeleid is van het West-Germaanse "lat" (= traag). | |||
| English | let | ||
| The word "let" originates from the Old English word "lǣtan," meaning "to leave" or "to allow." | |||
| French | laisser | ||
| The origin of "laisser" likely derives from the Late Latin "laxare" (to loosen, set free) and has similar cognates in Italian ("lasciare") and Spanish ("dejar"). | |||
| Frisian | litte | ||
| The Frisian word "litte" is cognate with the English word "little" and originally meant "small". | |||
| Galician | imos | ||
| In medieval law and legal documents in Galician, the term "imos" also referred to a type of property tenure or land ownership. | |||
| German | lassen | ||
| "Lassen" derives from the Old High German "lazzen" meaning "to neglect" and is related to the English "lazy". | |||
| Icelandic | láta | ||
| The Icelandic word "láta" can also mean "appear" or "seem," a usage which dates back to Old Norse. | |||
| Irish | lig | ||
| Lig can also mean 'leave' or 'allow', and is pronounced differently when used in this sense. | |||
| Italian | permettere | ||
| Etymology: from Latin permitto "allow" (ultimately meaning "let through", from *per- + *mitto "send, release, let go". | |||
| Luxembourgish | loossen | ||
| The word "loossen" can also mean "to relax" or "to loosen" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ejja | ||
| The word "ejja" also means "come" in Maltese, and is derived from the Arabic word "ijjī", which means "to come". | |||
| Norwegian | la | ||
| The Norwegian word "la" can also mean "to allow" or "to leave (something alone)". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | deixei | ||
| The origin of the word "deixar" in Portuguese is the Latin verb "dimittere", which means "to send away, to abandon, to leave alone". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leig | ||
| Leig was borrowed from Old Norse 'leigja' meaning 'to loosen' or 'to free', and is also cognate with the English word 'lay' | |||
| Spanish | dejar | ||
| "Dejar" can also mean to stop or discontinue something. | |||
| Swedish | låta | ||
| The Swedish word 'låta' can also mean 'to sound' or 'to make a noise'. | |||
| Welsh | gadewch | ||
| 'Gadewch' is the Welsh imperative form of the verb 'gadael', and can also mean 'leave' or 'permit'. | |||
Let in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хай | ||
| The Belarusian word "хай" can also mean "go ahead" or "allow". | |||
| Bosnian | neka | ||
| "Neka" also means 'maybe', 'possibly', or 'perhaps'. | |||
| Bulgarian | позволявам | ||
| The word "позволявам" can also mean "permit", "allow" or "tolerate" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | nechat | ||
| Czech language has another verb 'opustit' that can mean 'leave, abandon', but in many situations is translated into English by the verb let, e.g. 'opustite mne prosím' - 'leave/let me, please'. | |||
| Estonian | lase | ||
| The word "lase" in Estonian shares its etymology with the word "let" in English, meaning "to permit" or "to allow". | |||
| Finnish | päästää | ||
| "Päästää" also means "to free" and comes from the root "paeta" meaning "to escape". | |||
| Hungarian | hadd | ||
| The Hungarian word "hadd" can also mean "allow", "permit" or "leave alone". | |||
| Latvian | ļaujiet | ||
| The Latvian word "ļaujiet" is cognate with the Lithuanian word "leisti" and the Proto-Indo-European root *leyh₂-, meaning "to leave". | |||
| Lithuanian | leisti | ||
| The verb "leisti" can also mean "to allow" or "to permit" in Lithuanian, expanding its usage beyond the concept of letting go. | |||
| Macedonian | нека | ||
| "Нека" can also mean "may," "could," or "let (someone)." | |||
| Polish | pozwolić | ||
| The word "pozwolić" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *pozvoliti, meaning "to allow" or "to permit." | |||
| Romanian | lăsa | ||
| Derived from Latin "laxare" with the sense of "to let go" and having the same usage in Romanian, "lăsa" also came to have the sense of "to put down", as in Romanian "lasă cartea jos", or literally in English, "puts the book down". | |||
| Russian | позволять | ||
| The verb “позволять” (“let”) originally meant to “allow”, which was associated with the verb “волить” (“to will”). | |||
| Serbian | дозволити | ||
| The verb "дозволити" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *dovoliti* meaning "to allow" or "to permit" and is cognate with the Russian word "дозволить" and the Polish word "dozwolić". | |||
| Slovak | nechajme | ||
| The word "nechajme" can also mean "leave something alone" or "let something be" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | pustiti | ||
| The Proto-Slavic root of „pustiti” (“let”) also meant “to send,” which explains the extended meaning of „pustiti glas” (“to spread a rumor”). | |||
| Ukrainian | дозволяє | ||
| The Ukrainian word "дозволяє" (let) originates from the Proto-Slavic word *dovoliti, meaning "to allow" or "to permit." | |||
Let in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দিন | ||
| দিন is derived from the Sanskrit word 'di', meaning 'to give' or 'to send'. | |||
| Gujarati | દો | ||
| The word 'દો' ('let') in Gujarati also means 'to give' or 'to allow'. | |||
| Hindi | लश्कर | ||
| The word 'लश्कर' can also mean 'army' or 'camp' in Hindi, and originates from the Persian word 'lashkar'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅವಕಾಶ | ||
| ಅವಕಾಶ's alternate meaning 'opportunity' shares its root with 'chance'. | |||
| Malayalam | അനുവദിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | द्या | ||
| The word "द्या" in Marathi can also mean "give" in English. | |||
| Nepali | गरौं | ||
| गरौं "let" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "graha" meaning "to seize" or "to take hold of". | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਿਉ | ||
| The word "ਦਿਉ" (let) in Punjabi originally meant "to give". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉඩ | ||
| ඉඩ (iḍa) also means "space", "location" or "opportunity". | |||
| Tamil | விடுங்கள் | ||
| Telugu | వీలు | ||
| "వీలు" means "freedom" or "scope" in some contexts | |||
| Urdu | دو | ||
| In Urdu, "دو" ("let") also means "two" or "run" depending on the context. | |||
Let in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 让 | ||
| The character '让' (ràng) in Chinese can also mean 'to yield' or 'to give way'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 讓 | ||
| "讓" means to "yield" or "give way" and is also used as a surname in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | しましょう | ||
| The word "しましょう" (let) in Japanese can also be used to express permission or a suggestion. | |||
| Korean | 허락하다 | ||
| The word '허락하다' in Korean originates from the Middle Chinese word '許' (hɔ) | |||
| Mongolian | зөвшөөрөх | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခွင့်ပြုပါ | ||
| In the context of | |||
Let in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | membiarkan | ||
| 'Membiarkan' is derived from Proto-Austronesian '*biR' meaning 'give', which is also the source of 'beri'. As such, 'membiarkan' literally means 'to give (s.t) alone', hence 'let'. | |||
| Javanese | ayo | ||
| The word "ayo" in Javanese can also mean "come on" or "go ahead". | |||
| Khmer | អនុញ្ញាតឱ្យ | ||
| Lao | ປ່ອຍໃຫ້ | ||
| Malay | biarkan | ||
| The word 'biarkan' is derived from the Old Javanese word 'biar', which means 'to allow' or 'to permit'. | |||
| Thai | ปล่อย | ||
| ปล่อย also means 'to release' or 'set free' | |||
| Vietnamese | để cho | ||
| "Để cho" in Vietnamese can also mean "in order to" or "so that". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hayaan | ||
Let in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qoy | ||
| In ancient Turkic languages, "qoy" also meant "to put" or "to place". | |||
| Kazakh | рұқсат етіңіз | ||
| "Рұқсат етіңіз" is the Kazakh equivalent of the Russian "позвольте" or "разрешите", which can also be used as a polite form of asking for something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | уруксат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "уруксат" is borrowed from the Persian language and means "permission, leave, or consent". | |||
| Tajik | бигзор | ||
| The word "бигзор" can also mean "to leave" or "to let go". | |||
| Turkmen | goý | ||
| Uzbek | ruxsat bering | ||
| The word "ruxsat bering" in Uzbek also means to permit or authorize. | |||
| Uyghur | قويايلى | ||
Let in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e hoʻokuʻu | ||
| The Hawaiian word "e hoʻokuʻu" can also mean "to release," "to set free," or "to forgive." | |||
| Maori | tukua | ||
| The Maori word “tukua” has meanings that relate to the concepts of “letting go”, “releasing”, and “setting free”. | |||
| Samoan | tuu | ||
| The word “tuu” has additional meanings, such as "to stay in one place" and "to be fixed". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hayaan | ||
| In Tagalog, "hayaan" also means to allow, to permit, or to leave something alone. | |||
Let in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaytaña | ||
| Guarani | heja | ||
Let in International Languages
| Esperanto | lasu | ||
| "Lasu" also translates to "permit" in Esperanto but is more often used in the context of "letting go". | |||
| Latin | sit | ||
| The Latin word "sit" can also mean "to place" or "to cause to do something," and is related to the Greek word "iemai" meaning "to send." | |||
Let in Others Languages
| Greek | αφήνω | ||
| The word "αφήνω" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leh₃-, meaning "to abandon" or "to relax". | |||
| Hmong | cia | ||
| The Hmong word "cia" can also mean "help" or "do something for someone". | |||
| Kurdish | berdan | ||
| The word "berdan" in Kurdish can also refer to "permit" or "leave". | |||
| Turkish | i̇zin vermek | ||
| The word "İzin Vermek" in Turkish shares a similar root word with the English "permission"} | |||
| Xhosa | vumela | ||
| Vumela also means "to make a way" or "to open a path" in Xhosa, reflecting its role in providing permission or creating opportunities. | |||
| Yiddish | לאָזן | ||
| The Yiddish word "לאָזן" can also mean "to allow" or "to permit". | |||
| Zulu | ake | ||
| 'Ake' is homophonous with and has the same meaning as 'dela', which means 'leave'. In the same way, there is a verb 'yeki' which derives from 'yika' (wash) but whose meaning is 'leave'. This pattern is repeated in other pairs of verbs, such as 'goda' (praise) and 'yoda' (leave) | |||
| Assamese | কৰিবলৈ দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | jaytaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | होखे दीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ދޫކޮށްލާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जान देओ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hayaan | ||
| Guarani | heja | ||
| Ilocano | bay-an | ||
| Krio | lɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕێگە بدە | ||
| Maithili | हुअ दियौ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯏꯍꯜꯂꯨ | ||
| Mizo | nihtir | ||
| Oromo | haa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚାଲ | ||
| Quechua | uyay | ||
| Sanskrit | अनुमतिं करोतु | ||
| Tatar | рөхсәт ит | ||
| Tigrinya | ይኹን | ||
| Tsonga | pfumelela | ||