Present in Different Languages
Discover 'Present' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'present' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the act of giving or the current time. Its cultural importance is evident in various traditions and rituals where gifts are exchanged as symbols of affection, respect, or celebration. Knowing the translation of 'present' in different languages can be a game-changer, especially during global interactions or travels.
For instance, in Spanish, 'present' is 'regalo'. In French, it's 'cadeau', while in German, it's 'Geschenk'. These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also provide insights into how different cultures perceive and express the concept of giving.
Moreover, the word 'present' has historical contexts too. During the Renaissance, 'present' meant 'on hand' or 'ready', reflecting the era's readiness for change and discovery. Today, it stands for the moment we are living in, the 'now'.
So, whether you're planning a trip abroad, learning a new language, or simply appreciating the cultural diversity of our world, understanding the word 'present' in different languages can be an exciting journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Present
Present in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aanwesig is | ||
| Present is also the alternate English meaning of "aanwesig is" in Afrikaans | |||
| Amharic | ማቅረብ | ||
| Hausa | yanzu | ||
| "Yanzu" can also mean "now" or "at the moment". | |||
| Igbo | ugbu | ||
| The Igbo word "ugbu" also means "yesterday" or "formerly" in the context of time. | |||
| Malagasy | ny ankehitriny | ||
| The word "ny ankehitriny" comes from the root word "ankehitra," which means "now," and the suffix "-ny," which indicates "the." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pompano | ||
| The word "pompano" can also refer to a type of fish found in the Atlantic Ocean. | |||
| Shona | chipo | ||
| The word "chipo" can also refer to a gift, a donation, or a contribution. | |||
| Somali | joogo | ||
| In Somali, 'joogo' also means 'face' or 'look' | |||
| Sesotho | hona joale | ||
| The word "hona joale" can also refer to the act of being in a place or situation. | |||
| Swahili | sasa | ||
| The word 'sasa' also means 'now', 'at the moment', or 'immediately' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngoku" can also mean "now" or "at the moment". | |||
| Yoruba | bayi | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "bayi" also means "to give or offer". | |||
| Zulu | okwamanje | ||
| The Zulu word 'okwamanje' literally translates as 'what is now' and can also be used to refer to a gift or offering. | |||
| Bambara | sisan | ||
| Ewe | fifia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubungubu | ||
| Lingala | sikoyo | ||
| Luganda | ekirabo | ||
| Sepedi | mpho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akyɛdeɛ | ||
Present in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حاضر | ||
| In addition to the meaning of "present," the Arabic word "حاضر" can also refer to "immediate," "available," or "mindful." | |||
| Hebrew | מתנה | ||
| The word "מתנה" (matana) in Hebrew also means "gift" or "offering," and is derived from the root "נתן" (natan), meaning "to give." | |||
| Pashto | موجود | ||
| The word "موجود" can also mean "creature" or "thing" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | حاضر | ||
| In addition to the meaning of "present," the Arabic word "حاضر" can also refer to "immediate," "available," or "mindful." | |||
Present in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i pranishëm | ||
| 'Pranishëm' is a loanword from French 'présent' and means both 'presence' and 'present' as a gift. | |||
| Basque | oraina | ||
| As a singular noun, "oraina" can also mean "time" or "moment". | |||
| Catalan | present | ||
| The English word "present" is cognate with the Catalan word "present" which means "gift" and can also be used as a noun. | |||
| Croatian | predstaviti | ||
| Predstaviti can mean either to 'introduce' or 'to present'. | |||
| Danish | til stede | ||
| The Danish word "til stede" comes from the Old Norse word "til staðar", meaning "in place". | |||
| Dutch | cadeau | ||
| In Dutch, "cadeau" originally meant "damage", but through semantic reversal, it came to mean "gift". | |||
| English | present | ||
| In English, the word "present" can refer to a gift, the current time, or a grammatical tense. | |||
| French | présent | ||
| In French, "présent" can also refer to the "present tense" of a verb or a "gift". | |||
| Frisian | oanwêzich | ||
| The word "oanwêzich" also means "in the presence of". | |||
| Galician | presente | ||
| In Galician, “presente” also means “present tense” or “gift”. | |||
| German | vorhanden | ||
| "Vorhanden" is in the vocabulary since the 15th century and is made up of the parts "vor" and "Hand" (hand). | |||
| Icelandic | til staðar | ||
| The Icelandic "til staðar" originally meant "at rest" or "in place" and was first used in the early 13th century. | |||
| Irish | i láthair | ||
| The Irish word “i láthair” is also used to mean 'at present' and 'in the sight of' or 'in the presence of'. | |||
| Italian | presente | ||
| The word 'presente' in Italian can also mean 'attendance' or 'presence'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | presentéieren | ||
| Maltese | rigal | ||
| The word "rigal" is also used as a term of endearment for a beloved person. | |||
| Norwegian | tilstede | ||
| The word "tilstede" derives from the Old Norse "til staðar" meaning "to the place" or "arrived". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | presente | ||
| In Portuguese, "presente" also means "current" or "now", and comes from the Latin "praesens", meaning "being before". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an làthair | ||
| The word "an làthair" can also mean "in the place of" or "instead of". | |||
| Spanish | presente | ||
| In Spanish, 'presente' can also refer to the tense indicating current time, or the first person singular of 'to be'. | |||
| Swedish | närvarande | ||
| In the sense of 'in attendance', "närvarande" is a recent borrowing from German "anwesend" (18th century). | |||
| Welsh | yn bresennol | ||
| "Presennol" (present) is etymologically linked to "bod yn bresennol" (to be present), but can also mean "this one", "the current one" or "the one that is now". | |||
Present in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цяперашні | ||
| "Цяперашні" can also mean "current" or "today's" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | prisutan | ||
| The word 'prisutan' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'prĭsǫtь' and is cognate with the English word 'presence'. | |||
| Bulgarian | присъства | ||
| "Присъства" can also mean "attend" or "be present". | |||
| Czech | současnost, dárek | ||
| The Czech word "současnost, dárek" (present) derives from the Old Slavonic word "darъ" (gift), and also means "the present time". | |||
| Estonian | kohal | ||
| The word "kohal" is a derivative of the word "kohus" meaning "place" or "gathering". | |||
| Finnish | esittää | ||
| "Esittää" also means "to perform" and can refer to acting on stage or playing music. | |||
| Hungarian | ajándék | ||
| The Hungarian word "ajándék" originally meant "surprise", and it is still used in this sense in some dialects. | |||
| Latvian | klāt | ||
| The word "klāt" originally meant "near" or "close" in Latvian, and can also mean "present" in the sense of "on site" or "here". | |||
| Lithuanian | pateikti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "pateikti" also means "to submit" or "to offer". | |||
| Macedonian | присутни | ||
| The word 'присутни' ('present') in Macedonian shares its Slavic root with other words denoting 'to be there', such as the Russian 'присутствовать' and the Polish 'przytomny'. | |||
| Polish | obecny | ||
| Obecnie (obecny) is an adverb meaning 'nowadays' that has the same root as the Polish verb być, meaning 'to be'. | |||
| Romanian | prezent | ||
| The Romanian word "prezent" is derived from the Latin "praesens," meaning "being before," and can also refer to the present tense in grammar. | |||
| Russian | подарок | ||
| The word "подарок" is derived from the Old Russian word "дар", meaning "gift", and shares this root with the verb "дарить", meaning "to give a gift". | |||
| Serbian | поклон | ||
| The word "поклон" can also refer to a bow or a greeting, and is related to the verb "клањати се" (to bow). | |||
| Slovak | prítomný | ||
| The word "prítomný" also means "attending" or "being present" in a place or situation. | |||
| Slovenian | prisoten | ||
| "Prisoten" is a Slovenian word that can also mean "forced" or "compulsory". | |||
| Ukrainian | сьогодення | ||
| The word "сьогодення" in Ukrainian originally meant "today" and has come to mean "present" over time. | |||
Present in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপস্থিত | ||
| The word "উপস্থিত" in Bengali can also mean "to be in attendance" or "to be on the scene". | |||
| Gujarati | હાજર | ||
| Despite meaning "present," this word is also a colloquial way of saying "here" or "there" and can sometimes refer to people, places, or objects. | |||
| Hindi | वर्तमान | ||
| In Sanskrit, "वर्तमान" (vartamāna) means "present" but also "existing" or "continuous." | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ" can also mean "ready" or "available" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വർത്തമാന | ||
| The word "വർത്തമാന" in Malayalam has two alternate meanings: "present" and "news". | |||
| Marathi | उपस्थित | ||
| "उपस्थित" ('present') can also mean 'to arise' or 'to occur' | |||
| Nepali | उपस्थित | ||
| उपस्थित is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उपस्थिति', meaning 'to stand before' or 'to be present'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਜੂਦ | ||
| The word "ਮੌਜੂਦ" in Punjabi is derived from the Persian word "maujud" meaning "existing", and also has the connotation of "enjoying oneself". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වර්තමාන | ||
| The word "වර්තමාන" (present) can also mean "current" or "existing" in Sinhala, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "वर्तमान" (vartamāna). | |||
| Tamil | தற்போது | ||
| "தற்போது" can also mean "this place," "here," "this state," "this time," or "now". | |||
| Telugu | ప్రస్తుతం | ||
| The Telugu word ప్రస్తుతం ('present') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pr̥śta'. This also signifies the backside of something and a page in Sanskrit texts written on both sides. | |||
| Urdu | موجودہ | ||
| The word 'موجوہ' is often used in the context of current or ongoing events and situations, but it also possesses historical connotations related to 'being present' or 'existing'. | |||
Present in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 当下 | ||
| 当下 (dàngxià) also means 'now' and 'current situation'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 當下 | ||
| 當下, a classical Chinese idiom, is used to emphasize the importance of the present moment. | |||
| Japanese | 現在 | ||
| The Japanese word "現在" (genzai) is composed of the characters "現" (gen), meaning "appearance" or "manifestation," and "在" (zai), meaning "place" or "existence." | |||
| Korean | 선물 | ||
| "선물" also means 'an auspicious sign' or 'a gift from heaven.' | |||
| Mongolian | одоо | ||
| The Mongolian word "одоо" also means "now," "at once," or "in a minute". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပစ္စုပ္ပန် | ||
Present in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyajikan | ||
| "Menyajikan" is a derivative of the Sanskrit "sami," meaning "completely." In modern usage, it can also refer to preparing and serving food. | |||
| Javanese | saiki | ||
| The Javanese word "saiki" derives from the Sanskrit word "saksat" meaning "immediately". | |||
| Khmer | បច្ចុប្បន្ន | ||
| Lao | ປະຈຸບັນ | ||
| The Lao word "បច្ចុប្បន្ន" (pronounced "bachuppann") derives from the Pali language and carries the extended meaning of "now and in the future". | |||
| Malay | hadir | ||
| The word "hadir" in Malay not only means "present" but also "available" or "in attendance." | |||
| Thai | นำเสนอ | ||
| The Thai word "นำเสนอ" (present) is derived from the Sanskrit word "नमस्" (namas), meaning "to bow down or offer respect". | |||
| Vietnamese | hiện tại | ||
| The word "hiện tại" is often used in Vietnamese to refer to "the present moment", but it also means "visible" or "manifest". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kasalukuyan | ||
Present in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | indiki | ||
| The word "indiki" (present) likely derives from the Turkic word "indi","now". Additionally, it is used to refer to the present tense in Azerbaijani grammar. | |||
| Kazakh | қазіргі | ||
| The word "қазіргі" in Kazakh can also mean "current" or "contemporary". | |||
| Kyrgyz | азыркы | ||
| The word "азыркы" in Kyrgyz also means "current" or "modern". | |||
| Tajik | ҳозира | ||
| The word "ҳозира" in Tajik can also mean "now" or "currently". | |||
| Turkmen | häzirki wagtda | ||
| Uzbek | hozir | ||
| The Uzbek word "hozir" is derived from the Persian word "hazr" meaning "ready" or "prepared". | |||
| Uyghur | ھازىر | ||
Present in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makanaʻi | ||
| A related word, “makana,” refers to the gift of life, or descendants, and is synonymous with the concept of "hope" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | inaianei | ||
| The Maori word "inaianei" also has the alternate meaning of "now". | |||
| Samoan | taimi nei | ||
| The Samoan word "taimi nei" not only refers to the present time but can also mean "now," "recently," or "a while ago." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kasalukuyan | ||
| "Kasalukuyan" is a word used not only to indicate the present time, but also to refer to something that is ongoing or currently happening. | |||
Present in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukankaña | ||
| Guarani | ĩ | ||
Present in International Languages
| Esperanto | nuna | ||
| Esperanto's "nuna" ultimately derives from the Latin "nunc," meaning "now." | |||
| Latin | praesenti | ||
| In Latin, "praesenti" also signifies "in one's presence" or "in the face of". | |||
Present in Others Languages
| Greek | παρόν | ||
| The Greek word "παρόν" can also mean "in readiness" or "at hand". | |||
| Hmong | tam sim no | ||
| The Hmong word "tam sim no" means "present" in English, but it also carries implications of "now" and "right away". | |||
| Kurdish | amade | ||
| The word "amade" in Kurdish also means "ready" or "prepared". | |||
| Turkish | mevcut | ||
| Mevcut also means "available" and derives from the Arabic "wujud" (existence). | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngoku" can also mean "now" or "at the moment". | |||
| Yiddish | פאָרשטעלן | ||
| פאָרשטעלן may be a Yiddish borrowing of German „vorstellen“, which is a calque of Latin „repraesentare“ meaning «to bring forth again, to render present to the mind, to picture to the mind». | |||
| Zulu | okwamanje | ||
| The Zulu word 'okwamanje' literally translates as 'what is now' and can also be used to refer to a gift or offering. | |||
| Assamese | বৰ্তমান | ||
| Aymara | ukankaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | वर्तमान | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަދިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | मजूद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kasalukuyan | ||
| Guarani | ĩ | ||
| Ilocano | agdama | ||
| Krio | gi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئێستا | ||
| Maithili | वर्तमान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | thilpek | ||
| Oromo | jira | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପସ୍ଥିତ | ||
| Quechua | kunan | ||
| Sanskrit | उपस्थितः | ||
| Tatar | хәзерге | ||
| Tigrinya | እዋናዊ | ||
| Tsonga | nyiko | ||