Potentially in Different Languages
Discover 'Potentially' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'potentially' is a powerful tool in our vocabulary, indicating a capacity for something to happen or exist in the future. It's a word that transcends cultures and languages, a concept that is universally understood. Understanding the translations of 'potentially' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural understanding.
Throughout history, the idea of potential has been a source of fascination and inspiration. From the ancient Greek concept of 'dynamis' to the modern English 'potential,' cultures around the world have grappled with the idea of what could be. This fascination has led to countless works of art, literature, and scientific discovery, all shaped by the idea of potentiality.
For those interested in language and culture, exploring the translations of 'potentially' can be a fun and enlightening experience. Here are just a few examples:
- French: potentiellement
- Spanish: potencialmente
- German: potenziell
- Mandarin: 潜在地 (qiàn zài de)
- Japanese: 潜在的に (senzai-tekina ni)
Potentially
Potentially in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | potensieel | ||
| The Afrikaans word "potensieel" can also mean "dynamo" or "power source". | |||
| Amharic | ሊሆን ይችላል | ||
| ሊሆን ይችላል in Amharic originally meant "It is possible (that...)" in the sense of probability, but it has come to mean "It is possible as a matter of theory or logic" and hence "It is possible". In the former sense, it is interchangeable with ሊሆን ይችል ነው. | |||
| Hausa | yiwuwar | ||
| The word 'yiwuwar' in Hausa also means 'probably' or 'maybe'. | |||
| Igbo | nwere ike | ||
| Nwere ike' which means 'potentially', also denotes 'strong potential' in the Igbo language. | |||
| Malagasy | mety | ||
| "Mety" originates from the Arabic word "mawqit" (temporary place) and can also mean "maybe" or "perhaps". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuthekera | ||
| In some contexts, "kuthekera" is also used to convey a sense of "may" or "possibly". | |||
| Shona | zvinogona | ||
| The etymology of "zvinogona" is unknown, but it is also used in the sense of "likely" or "probably" | |||
| Somali | macquul ah | ||
| "Maquul ah" is an Arabic word meaning "reasonable" that has been borrowed into Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | khoneha | ||
| The word 'khoneha' is of Zulu origin and means 'to be able to', 'to have the ability to', or 'to be capable of'. | |||
| Swahili | uwezekano | ||
| The Swahili word "uwezekano" is derived from the verb "wezekana" and the suffix "-ano," meaning it is "capable of happening." | |||
| Xhosa | ngokunokwenzeka | ||
| The word 'ngokunokwenzeka' can also mean 'maybe' or 'possibly' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | oyi | ||
| "Oyi" also means "it is possible" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ngokungenzeka | ||
| "Ngukungenzeka" comes from the Zulu word "kwenzeka", which means "to happen" or "to take place". | |||
| Bambara | bɛ se ka kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ate ŋu adzɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birashoboka | ||
| Lingala | ekoki kozala | ||
| Luganda | ekiyinza okubaawo | ||
| Sepedi | ka kgonagalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | a ebetumi aba | ||
Potentially in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يحتمل | ||
| The word "يحتمل" (potentially) also means "tolerates" or "endures" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | באופן פוטנציאלי | ||
| במקור באנגלית, potentially מתייחס גם לכוח או היכולת לעשות משהו, לא רק לאפשרות | |||
| Pashto | په احتمالي توګه | ||
| Arabic | يحتمل | ||
| The word "يحتمل" (potentially) also means "tolerates" or "endures" in Arabic. | |||
Potentially in Western European Languages
| Albanian | potencialisht | ||
| The word "potencialisht" has no alternate meanings. It's simply the Albanian word for "potentially". | |||
| Basque | potentzialki | ||
| The Basque word "potentzialki" derives from Latin "potentia" meaning "power" and "-ki" denoting "quality". | |||
| Catalan | potencialment | ||
| Potencialment derives from the Latin "potentialis" meaning "power" and "force", which in turn originates in the root *pot ("to be able"). | |||
| Croatian | potencijalno | ||
| The Slavic root of the word potencijalno, 'potencija', means power or strength. | |||
| Danish | potentielt | ||
| The Danish word “potentielt” also means “a powerplant”. | |||
| Dutch | mogelijk | ||
| The Dutch word "mogelijk" can also mean "possible" or "feasible". | |||
| English | potentially | ||
| The English word "potential" comes from the Latin word "potentia", meaning "power". The word can also mean "power to do or become something" or "a possibility that something might happen in the future." | |||
| French | potentiellement | ||
| In French, "potentiellement" can also mean "powerfully" or "with great strength." | |||
| Frisian | potensjeel | ||
| The Frisian word "potensjeel" is derived from the Latin word "potentia" and also has the meaning of "ability". | |||
| Galician | potencialmente | ||
| La palabra "potencialmente" en gallego también puede significar "poderoso". | |||
| German | möglicherweise | ||
| Möglichlicherweise is a composite of the words "möglich" (possible) and "weise" (manner, way), implying a possible way or manner. | |||
| Icelandic | hugsanlega | ||
| Derived from the Old Norse "úgsæll", meaning "fortunate", "hugsanlega" can also refer to "possibly", "maybe", or "probably". | |||
| Irish | b’fhéidir | ||
| The Irish word “b’fhéidir” can also mean “perhaps” or “maybe”. | |||
| Italian | potenzialmente | ||
| "Potenzialmente" derives from the Latin word "potentia", meaning power or capability. | |||
| Luxembourgish | potenziell | ||
| Potenziell also exists in German, and as such does not have a purely Luxembourgish etymology, even though its commonality is more widely attested in Lëtzebuergesch. | |||
| Maltese | potenzjalment | ||
| Maltese potenzjalment is used to refer to both potential and actual capabilities, unlike its English cognate which only denotes potential ability. | |||
| Norwegian | potensielt | ||
| Potensielt also translates into "in power" or "potential power" in Norwegian, referencing its medieval use to describe a feudal lord's claim to lands and resources. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | potencialmente | ||
| "Potencialmente" is the adverb form of "potencial", which in turn comes from Latin "potentialis" and means "strong", "capable". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | comasach | ||
| "Comasach" is derived from the Gaelic verb "comas" meaning "to be able to," and can also mean "capable" or "possible." | |||
| Spanish | potencialmente | ||
| "Potencialmente" is derived from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "power" or "possibility." | |||
| Swedish | potentiellt | ||
| The Swedish word "potentiellt" derives from the French word "potentiel," which means "power" or "ability." | |||
| Welsh | o bosibl | ||
| The Welsh word "o bosibl" can also mean "possible" or "hypothetically." | |||
Potentially in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | патэнцыйна | ||
| The word патэнцыйна (potentsial'na) in Belarusian derives from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "power" or "ability." | |||
| Bosnian | potencijalno | ||
| In Bosnian, "potencijalno" can also mean "in anticipation" or "eventually", depending on the context. | |||
| Bulgarian | потенциално | ||
| The word "потенциално" ("potentially") in Bulgarian can also mean "latently" or "virtually." | |||
| Czech | potenciálně | ||
| The Czech word "potenciálně" also means "virtually", "possibly", or "theoretically". | |||
| Estonian | potentsiaalselt | ||
| 'Potentsiaalselt' comes from the Latin 'potentia' ('power') and is also used to mean 'capability' in Estonian | |||
| Finnish | mahdollisesti | ||
| "Mahdollisesti" derives from the verb "mahdollistaa" meaning "to enable" or "to make possible." | |||
| Hungarian | potenciálisan | ||
| Potenciálisan is shares its root with "potencia" meaning "strength" or "power" in Latin. | |||
| Latvian | potenciāli | ||
| The word "potenciāli" derives from the French "potentiel" and has the same meaning in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | potencialiai | ||
| Potencialiai is derived from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "power" or "ability." | |||
| Macedonian | потенцијално | ||
| The word "потенцијално" is derived from the Latin word "potentia", meaning "power" or "ability." | |||
| Polish | potencjalnie | ||
| Potencjalnie is derived from the Latin word "potentia" meaning "power" or "ability" and can also mean "virtually" or "in the abstract". | |||
| Romanian | potenţial | ||
| "Potenţial" can also mean "potential energy" or "prospective" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | потенциально | ||
| The word "потенциально" (potentsial'no) comes from the Latin word "potentia", meaning "power" or "ability". | |||
| Serbian | потенцијално | ||
| "Потенцијално" derives from the French word "potentiel", which shares roots with "puissance", or power. | |||
| Slovak | potenciálne | ||
| Potenciálne is derived from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "power" or "ability." | |||
| Slovenian | potencialno | ||
| The Slovenian word 'potencialno' comes from the Latin word 'potentialis', meaning 'powerful'. | |||
| Ukrainian | потенційно | ||
| The word "потенційно" comes from Latin "potentia", meaning "power", and its root, "posse", meaning "to be able". | |||
Potentially in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সম্ভাব্যভাবে | ||
| The Bengali word সম্ভাব্যভাবে comes from the Sanskrit word 'sam-bhaav-yam' which means 'capable of happening' or 'having a possibility to occur'. | |||
| Gujarati | સંભવિત | ||
| સંભવિત (potentially) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sam-bhavya," which means "capable of being or becoming." | |||
| Hindi | संभावित | ||
| The word "संभावित" (sambhavit) is derived from the Sanskrit word "संभव" (sambhava), meaning "possible" or "probable". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಮರ್ಥವಾಗಿ | ||
| The word "ಸಮರ್ಥವಾಗಿ" can also mean "capable, competent, proficient, or efficient". | |||
| Malayalam | സാധ്യതയുള്ള | ||
| Marathi | संभाव्य | ||
| The term "संभाव्य" also appears in the title of two Marathi novels, one by विठ्ठल नारायण जोशी in 1954 and the other by आलोक कांजीलाल in 1996. | |||
| Nepali | सम्भाव्य रूपमा | ||
| सम्भाव्य रूपमा is derived from Sanskrit सम (equal/alike) + भाव (form/shape) + य (suffix indicating possibility). It also means "possibly" or "maybe". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਭਾਵੀ | ||
| The word "ਸੰਭਾਵੀ" ("potentially") in Punjabi comes from the Sanskrit word "सम्भव" ("possible"), which is derived from the root "भू" ("to become"). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විභව | ||
| "විභව" ('vibhava') is the Sinhala version of the Sanskrit word 'vibhava', which means 'manifest' or 'visible', and is also used in Sinhala to refer to 'potential' or 'possibility'. | |||
| Tamil | சாத்தியமான | ||
| Telugu | సమర్థవంతంగా | ||
| The word "potentially" is derived from the Latin word "potentia", meaning "ability" or "capacity". In other contexts, it can also mean "actually" or "in reality". | |||
| Urdu | ممکنہ طور پر | ||
Potentially in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 潜在地 | ||
| 潜在地在中文里的意思是可能有某事物出现或发生的可能性，也指具有发展或进步的可能性。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 潛在地 | ||
| 「潛在地」源自「潛伏」，意指隱藏的、未顯現的，但有發生或發展的可能性。 | |||
| Japanese | 潜在的に | ||
| 「潜在的に」は「潜む」と「潜在」を繋げた言葉。 | |||
| Korean | 잠재적으로 | ||
| `잠재적으로` is the Korean equivalent of the English word `potentially`, which literally means "in a potential manner, or with potential to develop, happen or become reality. "} | |||
| Mongolian | болзошгүй | ||
| The Mongolian word "болзошгүй" also means "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြစ်နိုင်ခြေရှိသည် | ||
| The term "potentially" comes from the Latin word "potentialis", which means "having the power or ability to become something; possible". | |||
Potentially in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berpotensi | ||
| The Indonesian word "berpotensi" comes from the Sanskrit word "putra" which means "son". | |||
| Javanese | duweni potensi | ||
| The word "duweni potensi" literally means "having potential" or "has the ability to". It is often used to describe someone or something that has the potential to achieve great things, but has not yet reached their full potential. | |||
| Khmer | សក្តានុពល | ||
| Lao | ມີທ່າແຮງ | ||
| The word ມີທ່າແຮງ can also mean "to have enough energy," "to be strong enough," or "to be able to do something." | |||
| Malay | berpotensi | ||
| "Berpotensi" comes from the Indonesian word "potensi", which itself is a loanword from Dutch "potentie". This Dutch word comes from the French word "potence". In the end, they all trace back to the Latin "potentia" which meant "power", | |||
| Thai | อาจ | ||
| The word "อาจ" also means "maybe" or "possibly" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | có tiềm năng | ||
| "Có tiềm năng" can also mean having the ability to develop into something in the future. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | potensyal | ||
Potentially in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | potensial olaraq | ||
| The word "potensial olaraq" in Azerbaijani also means "virtually" and "possibly" | |||
| Kazakh | ықтимал | ||
| The Kazakh word "ықтимал" is derived from the Arabic word "احتمال", which means "possibility" or "chance". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүн | ||
| In addition to meaning "potentially," "мүмкүн" can also mean "conceivable" or "possible." | |||
| Tajik | эҳтимолан | ||
| The Tajik word "эҳтимолан" can also mean "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Turkmen | ähtimal | ||
| Uzbek | potentsial | ||
| Uzbek "potentsial" is derived from Russian "potentsial", originating from Latin "potentia", meaning "power" or "ability". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇمكىن | ||
Potentially in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki paha | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hiki paha" can also mean "maybe" or "possibly." | |||
| Maori | pea | ||
| The word "pea" in Maori can also refer to a "seed" or "stone". | |||
| Samoan | ono | ||
| In Proto-Polynesian, "ono" meant "to exist or be," with the later meaning of "maybe" arising in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | potensyal | ||
| The Tagalog word "potensyal" comes from the Spanish word "potencial," meaning "potential." | |||
Potentially in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukax utjaspawa | ||
| Guarani | potencialmente | ||
Potentially in International Languages
| Esperanto | eble | ||
| "Eble" means possibly in Esperanto, and it means "able" in the constructed language Lojban. | |||
| Latin | in potentia; | ||
| The Latin phrase "in potentia" literally translates to "in power" or "in potency." | |||
Potentially in Others Languages
| Greek | ενδεχομένως | ||
| The word 'ενδεχομένως' comes from the Greek root word 'δύναμαι' which means 'to be able', and it is also used to mean 'maybe' or 'possibly'. | |||
| Hmong | muaj feem | ||
| "Muaj feem" literally means "there is space," implying that something can be done or is possible. | |||
| Kurdish | potansiyel | ||
| "Potansiyel" sözcüğü Kürtçede "güçlü", "yetkili" ve "olası" anlamlarına da gelir. | |||
| Turkish | potansiyel olarak | ||
| Potansiyel olarak can also be used to mean "prospective" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokunokwenzeka | ||
| The word 'ngokunokwenzeka' can also mean 'maybe' or 'possibly' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאַטענטשאַלי | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאַטענטשאַלי" (potentsiyel) comes from the German word "potenziell," which in turn comes from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "power" or "ability."} | |||
| Zulu | ngokungenzeka | ||
| "Ngukungenzeka" comes from the Zulu word "kwenzeka", which means "to happen" or "to take place". | |||
| Assamese | সম্ভাৱ্যভাৱে | ||
| Aymara | ukax utjaspawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | संभावित रूप से बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕޮޓެންޝަލް ކޮށް | ||
| Dogri | संभावित रूप कन्नै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | potensyal | ||
| Guarani | potencialmente | ||
| Ilocano | potensial | ||
| Krio | i kin bi se i kin bi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە ئەگەرێکی زۆرەوە | ||
| Maithili | संभावित रूप स | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯇꯦꯟꯁꯤꯌꯦꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ ꯌꯥꯏ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | a awm thei bawk | ||
| Oromo | ta’uu danda’a | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମ୍ଭବତ। | | ||
| Quechua | potencialmente | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्भाव्यते | ||
| Tatar | потенциаль | ||
| Tigrinya | ክኸውን ዝኽእል ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | swi nga ha endleka | ||