Previous in Different Languages
Discover 'Previous' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'previous' is a common term that carries significant meaning in English, referring to something that has happened or existed before the present time. Its cultural importance is evident in various contexts, such as in history, academics, and technology. For instance, previous versions of a software update or historical events that have shaped our world all demonstrate the relevance of this term.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'previous' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures convey this concept. For example, in Spanish, 'previous' is 'anterior', while in French, it is 'précédent'. In German, 'previous' is 'vorherige', and in Japanese, it is '前の'.
Delving into the translations of 'previous' also uncovers fascinating historical contexts. For instance, in Latin, 'previous' is 'precedens', which was used in legal contexts to describe a precedent set by a previous case. Similarly, in ancient Greek, 'previous' is 'προηγούμενος' (proēgoúmenos), which was used in philosophical and scientific texts to describe earlier theories or ideas.
Overall, exploring the translations of 'previous' in different languages can enrich our understanding of this term and deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of human language and culture.
Previous
Previous in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vorige | ||
| The Afrikaans word "vorige" originates from the Dutch word "vorige", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Amharic | ቀዳሚ | ||
| ቀዳሚ is also used to refer to a predecessor or a former holder of a position. | |||
| Hausa | baya | ||
| The Hausa word "baya" can also mean "behind" or "later on". | |||
| Igbo | nke gara aga | ||
| "Nke gara aga" is an Igbo phrase that means "the one that came before" or "the one that is older." | |||
| Malagasy | teo aloha | ||
| In Hawaiian, "aloha" means both "hello" and "goodbye" while in Filipino, "tao" means "person". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | m'mbuyomu | ||
| The word "m'mbuyomu" can also be used to refer to the time before or the place where something existed or happened. | |||
| Shona | yapfuura | ||
| The term 'yapfuura' can also refer to a previous point in time or the act of going before in Shona. | |||
| Somali | hore | ||
| "Hore," meaning "previous," also refers to "the first time" or "the beginning of a sequence." | |||
| Sesotho | fetileng | ||
| Fetileng's alternate meaning is 'before' or 'in front'. | |||
| Swahili | uliopita | ||
| Uliopita (previous) is derived from the root '-pita' (to pass) and the prefix 'u-' (past tense), indicating something that happened in the past. | |||
| Xhosa | yangaphambili | ||
| The word "yangaphambili" may also refer to something that occurs before an event or action, a predecessor, an ancestor, or that which is located in front or ahead. | |||
| Yoruba | ti tẹlẹ | ||
| Ti tẹlẹ has an alternate meaning "the previous day" (yesterday), where "ti" means "the," and "tẹlẹ" means "the day before". | |||
| Zulu | okwedlule | ||
| The word 'okwedlule' is closely related to the Zulu word 'okudlula', which means 'to pass' or 'to go beyond'. This suggests that 'okwedlule' originally referred to something that had passed or gone beyond, and only later came to be used as a general term for 'previous'. | |||
| Bambara | tɛmɛnen | ||
| Ewe | si do ŋgᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | oyo eleki | ||
| Luganda | jjuuzi | ||
| Sepedi | peleng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dada | ||
Previous in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | السابق | ||
| The word "السابق" means "the one who precedes" in Arabic, and is also used to refer to a former or ex-ruler. | |||
| Hebrew | קודם | ||
| The word "קודם" can also mean "before" or "first". | |||
| Pashto | تیر | ||
| The Pashto word "تیر" can also refer to an arrow, a beam of light, or a year. | |||
| Arabic | السابق | ||
| The word "السابق" means "the one who precedes" in Arabic, and is also used to refer to a former or ex-ruler. | |||
Previous in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e mëparshme | ||
| The word “e mëparshme” is the feminine form of the adjective “i mëparshëm”, and derives from the Latin word “primus” (“first”). | |||
| Basque | aurrekoa | ||
| The Basque word "aurrekoa" can also refer to a "forehead" or "front". | |||
| Catalan | anterior | ||
| The Catalan word "anterior" can also refer to the front part of something, like the "anterior" chamber of the eye. | |||
| Croatian | prethodni | ||
| In Croatian, "prethodni" can also refer to an antecedent or predecessor. | |||
| Danish | tidligere | ||
| Tidligere can also mean 'earlier' or 'previously' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | vorige | ||
| The word "vorige" in Dutch can also refer to the past or to something that came before. | |||
| English | previous | ||
| The word 'previous' originates from the Latin word 'praevius', meaning 'going before' or 'leading the way'. | |||
| French | précédent | ||
| The word 'précédent' in French can also mean a precedent, or a decision that is used as an example for future decisions. | |||
| Frisian | foarige | ||
| The word 'foarige' in Frisian comes from the Old Frisian word 'forega', meaning 'going before'. | |||
| Galician | anterior | ||
| In Galician, "anterior" can also mean "front" or "forehead". | |||
| German | bisherige | ||
| Bisherige is cognate with the English word 'besiege'. | |||
| Icelandic | fyrri | ||
| The word "fyrri" derives from Old Norse "fyrra, | |||
| Irish | roimhe seo | ||
| The Irish word "roimhe seo" (meaning "previously" or "some time ago" in English) is derived from "roime" ("before" or "earlier") and "sin" (preposition meaning "since") and can also be used to refer to "prior to", "formerly" or "previously known as". | |||
| Italian | precedente | ||
| The Italian word "precedente" can also mean "preceding" or "precedent". | |||
| Luxembourgish | virdrun | ||
| Vir drun can also mean 'before' in Luxembourgish as well as 'last' or 'most recent' in Old English. | |||
| Maltese | preċedenti | ||
| The Maltese word 'preċedenti' derives from the Latin 'praecedens', meaning 'going before'. | |||
| Norwegian | tidligere | ||
| Tidligere' can also mean 'former' or refer to a person formerly holding a particular position. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | anterior | ||
| The Portuguese "anterior" has dual etymological Latin roots meaning "before" and "in front, in the presence of". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | roimhe seo | ||
| The Gaelic word "roimhe seo" is a compound word made of "roimhe" (meaning "before" or "in front") and the demonstrative pronoun "seo" (meaning "here"). | |||
| Spanish | anterior | ||
| The term "anterior" is derived from the Latin word "anterior", meaning "that which is in front or before" and is also used to refer to the front part of the body. | |||
| Swedish | tidigare | ||
| The word "tidigare" derives from Old Norse, where it originally meant "earlier" or "before". | |||
| Welsh | blaenorol | ||
| Blaenorol is composed of blaen (meaning 'top, highest, first') and the particle or suffix -orol (meaning 'time, season') | |||
Previous in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | папярэдні | ||
| The word "папярэдні" can also refer to a forerunner or predecessor. | |||
| Bosnian | prethodni | ||
| The word "prethodni" also means "antecedent" in the sense of a linguistic or grammatical form that historically preceded another. | |||
| Bulgarian | предишен | ||
| The word "предишен" also means "initial" or "former" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | předchozí | ||
| The word 'předchozí' can also mean 'former' or 'preceding'. | |||
| Estonian | eelmine | ||
| Derived from the verb "eelma", to go or come before, and the suffix "-ine", indicating a past action. | |||
| Finnish | edellinen | ||
| "Edellinen" is derived from "edeltää", meaning "to precede", and is a cognate of the English word "elder". | |||
| Hungarian | előző | ||
| In Hungarian, "előző" can also mean "forefather", "ancestor", or "predecessor". | |||
| Latvian | iepriekšējā | ||
| The Latvian word “iepriekšējā” has an additional meaning of “earlier”. | |||
| Lithuanian | ankstesnis | ||
| The word "ankstesnis" is derived from the word "anksta" (early), which is related to the Sanskrit word "aksa" (axle). | |||
| Macedonian | претходниот | ||
| The Macedonian word "претходниот" is cognate with the Serbian "претходни", which is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *predъxodъ, which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (*forward), and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (*forward), from which also come the English word "prior", the Latin preposition prae- (*in front of, before"), the Greek preposition πρό (*before, in front"), and the Sanskrit उपरि (upari, "above"). | |||
| Polish | poprzedni | ||
| Polish 'poprzedni' derives from the Proto-Slavic 'poperdъ', meaning "going forward, future." | |||
| Romanian | anterior | ||
| In Romanian, the word "anterior" is derived from Latin "ante" (before) and refers to something that comes before in time or sequence. | |||
| Russian | предыдущий | ||
| The word "предыдущий" can also mean "the one before last" or "the one before the previous one". | |||
| Serbian | претходна | ||
| The word "Претходна" can also mean "preceding" or "antecedent". | |||
| Slovak | predchádzajúce | ||
| The word "predchádzajúce" can also mean "former" or "antecedent" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | prejšnji | ||
| "Prejšnji" also means "former" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | попередній | ||
| Попередній also means "warning" in Ukrainian, a meaning that derives from the warning shouts of sentries in the past. | |||
Previous in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আগে | ||
| "আগে" (age) is also used to indicate "front" or "before" in terms of position or time. | |||
| Gujarati | અગાઉના | ||
| Hindi | पिछला | ||
| The word 'पिछला' also means 'behind' or 'backwards'. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಿಂದಿನದು | ||
| The word 'ಹಿಂದಿನದು' ('previous') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'पूर्व' ('east'), and also means 'ancient' or 'prior' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മുമ്പത്തെ | ||
| The word "മുമ്പത്തെ" in Malayalam can also refer to a former spouse or partner. | |||
| Marathi | मागील | ||
| The word 'मागील' originates from the Sanskrit word 'मृग' meaning 'animal' or 'deer', and denotes the trailing or subsequent element in a sequence. | |||
| Nepali | अघिल्लो | ||
| अघिल्लो originates from the word 'अङ्गुल', meaning 'finger', and is a cognate of the Latin word 'ante', meaning 'before'. This is because in the past, people used to count using their fingers, starting from the thumb, and hence 'अघिल्लो' (the finger before the thumb) came to mean 'previous'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਿਛਲੇ | ||
| The word “ਪਿਛਲੇ” (“previous”) in Punjabi is also used to refer to the past or to what happened before or earlier. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කලින් | ||
| The word "කලින්" can also mean "before" or "in front of" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | முந்தையது | ||
| Telugu | మునుపటి | ||
| The word 'మునుపటి' (previous) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mun' (earlier) and the suffix 'pati' (possessor or owner), and it can also mean 'preliminary' or 'former'. | |||
| Urdu | پچھلا | ||
| پچھلا also means "past" or "former" in the context of time or position, similar to its English counterpart "previous". | |||
Previous in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 以前 | ||
| In Mandarin Chinese, "以前" can refer to a person who is "senior" or has more experience in terms of age, knowledge, or social status. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 以前 | ||
| While 以前 can mean “previous” on its own, it can also mean “before” in sentences like “从前”. | |||
| Japanese | 前 | ||
| "前" is used in Japanese for "before", "previous month", and "previous year". | |||
| Korean | 이전 | ||
| "이전" can also mean 'before' or 'prior to' in the sense of time or sequence. | |||
| Mongolian | өмнөх | ||
| Өмнөх, "the preceding one," is derived from the verb өмнөх (to be/go in front), ultimately from Proto-Mongolic *ümü-. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ယခင် | ||
| The word "ယခင်" can also mean "earlier" or "before" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Previous in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sebelumnya | ||
| In Malay, "sebelumnya" retains its original meaning but can also mean "later". | |||
| Javanese | sadurunge | ||
| In some contexts, sadurunge can be interpreted as a request to recount something that happened earlier. | |||
| Khmer | មុន | ||
| "មុន" (previous) comes from Sanskrit "pura" meaning "in front," "before." | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ຜ່ານມາ | ||
| Malay | sebelumnya | ||
| In Old Malay, 'sebelumnya' meant 'in front of', and later came to also refer to something occurring earlier in time. | |||
| Thai | ก่อนหน้านี้ | ||
| ก่อนหน้านี้ was borrowed from Pali: "pubbe", meaning "in the past, previously" | |||
| Vietnamese | trước | ||
| The word "Trước" can also mean "anterior" or "preceding" in anatomy. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dati | ||
Previous in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əvvəlki | ||
| "Əvvəlki" is also used as a synonym for "former", particularly in the context of government or administrative positions. | |||
| Kazakh | алдыңғы | ||
| The word "алдыңғы" (previous) in Kazakh also means "earlier", "preceding", or "antecedent". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мурунку | ||
| The word "мурунку" in Kyrgyz can also refer to something that is former or past. | |||
| Tajik | қаблӣ | ||
| "қаблӣ" can also refer to something from "Kabul," Afghanistan. | |||
| Turkmen | öňki | ||
| Uzbek | oldingi | ||
| The Uzbek word for "oldingi" comes from the Old Turkic "ol" (to be, to exist), possibly under the influence of the Persian "ol" (that). | |||
| Uyghur | ئالدىنقى | ||
Previous in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma mua | ||
| The term derives from the Proto-Polynesian "*mua", which also means "front" or "ahead". | |||
| Maori | tuhinga o mua | ||
| Tuhinga o mua may also refer to writing materials such as paper, bark or leaves. | |||
| Samoan | talu ai | ||
| Talu ai is also the name of a village in Samoa that's home to a large population of migratory red crabs that come ashore to breed each October or November. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dati | ||
| The Tagalog word "dati" may also refer to a former custom, habit, or practice. | |||
Previous in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukarjama | ||
| Guarani | mboyvegua | ||
Previous in International Languages
| Esperanto | antaŭa | ||
| The word "antaŭa" can also mean "before" or "in front of." | |||
| Latin | priorem | ||
| The Latin word 'priorem' can also refer to a superior or elder in a religious or hierarchical context. | |||
Previous in Others Languages
| Greek | προηγούμενος | ||
| The Greek word "προηγούμενος" can also refer to a leader or superior. | |||
| Hmong | yav dhau los | ||
| "Yav dhau los" is the standard way to say "previous" in White Hmong, while "yav dhau los nram" is used to refer to the previous day or the previous night. | |||
| Kurdish | pêşî | ||
| The Kurdish word "pêşî" also means "front" or "forehead". | |||
| Turkish | önceki | ||
| The word "önceki" can also mean "the one before", "the former", or "the afore-mentioned". | |||
| Xhosa | yangaphambili | ||
| The word "yangaphambili" may also refer to something that occurs before an event or action, a predecessor, an ancestor, or that which is located in front or ahead. | |||
| Yiddish | פֿריִערדיקע | ||
| The word "פֿריִערדיקע" comes from the Proto-Germanic word *frijō, meaning "free". | |||
| Zulu | okwedlule | ||
| The word 'okwedlule' is closely related to the Zulu word 'okudlula', which means 'to pass' or 'to go beyond'. This suggests that 'okwedlule' originally referred to something that had passed or gone beyond, and only later came to be used as a general term for 'previous'. | |||
| Assamese | পূৰ্ৱবৰ্তী | ||
| Aymara | ukarjama | ||
| Bhojpuri | पिछिला | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުރީގެ | ||
| Dogri | पिछला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dati | ||
| Guarani | mboyvegua | ||
| Ilocano | napalabas | ||
| Krio | bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشووتر | ||
| Maithili | पहिलुका | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯥꯡꯒꯤ | ||
| Mizo | hma chiah | ||
| Oromo | kan duraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବ | ||
| Quechua | ñawpaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वतनम् | ||
| Tatar | алдагы | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝሓለፈ | ||
| Tsonga | endzhaku | ||