Probably in Different Languages
Discover 'Probably' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Probably: such a small word, yet it holds immense significance in our daily conversations and writings. It is a common word we often use to express uncertainty, likelihood, or expectation. But have you ever wondered how this word is translated in different languages around the world?
Understanding the translation of probably in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights and nuances. For instance, in Spanish, probably translates to probablemente, which is derived from the Latin word probabilis, meaning ‘worthy of approval.’ Meanwhile, in German, probably translates to wahrscheinlich, which comes from the Old High German word wârha, meaning ‘true’ and sin, meaning ‘to perceive.’
Moreover, the word probably has a rich historical context, having been used in various literary works and philosophical discussions. For instance, the famous philosopher René Descartes once said, ‘Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum’ or ‘I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am,’ which highlights the significance of uncertainty and probability in our thought processes.
So, whether you’re a language enthusiast, a traveler, or simply someone who’s curious about the world around you, understanding the translation of probably in different languages can be a fun and enlightening experience. Let’s explore some of the translations below!
Probably
Probably in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | waarskynlik | ||
| "Waarskynlik" comes from the Afrikaans word "waar," which means "true," and "skynlik," which means "seems like." | |||
| Amharic | ምናልባት | ||
| "ምናልባት" has its origin in the Arabic "man labada" which has the same meaning and "m" was added as an indicator of the infinitive in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | mai yiwuwa | ||
| The word "mai yiwuwa" also means "one who is likely to do something." | |||
| Igbo | eleghi anya | ||
| The word can also be shortened to 'eleghi' and is used as a response to a question in confirmation. | |||
| Malagasy | angamba | ||
| "Angamba" may be derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ka-ambaŋ "to hesitate, to be at a loss" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwina | ||
| The Nyanja term 'mwina' can also refer to a 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'possibly', 'it may be', or a 'likelihood'. | |||
| Shona | pamwe | ||
| The word "pamwe" can also mean "by chance" or "perhaps". | |||
| Somali | malaha | ||
| The word "malaha" in Somali likely originated from the Arabic word "malāḥa", meaning "refuge", but it has come to mean "probably" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | mohlomong | ||
| Swahili | pengine | ||
| The word "pengine" comes from the verb "pengineza" meaning "to make, to create, to form" | |||
| Xhosa | mhlawumbi | ||
| The word "mhlawumbi" in Xhosa can also mean "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Yoruba | jasi | ||
| "Jasi" is cognate with "daada" (to taste) and "jasi" (to experience). | |||
| Zulu | mhlawumbe | ||
| "Mhlawumbe" has different connotations: certainty when said loudly in an authoritative voice, but tentativeness when whispered. | |||
| Bambara | a bɛ se ka kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɖewòhĩ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birashoboka | ||
| Lingala | mbala mosusu | ||
| Luganda | -yinza | ||
| Sepedi | mohlomongwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ebia | ||
Probably in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المحتمل | ||
| The word "المحتمل" comes from the Arabic root "م ح ت", which also means "to hold" or "to bear". This suggests that the word "المحتمل" originally meant something that was possible to hold or bear. | |||
| Hebrew | כנראה | ||
| The word כנראה "probably" comes from the word נראה "visually apparent," but can also mean "likely" despite being invisible. | |||
| Pashto | شاید | ||
| "شاید" may also mean "perhaps" or "maybe" in Pashto, and is derived from the Persian word "شاید" meaning "might be." | |||
| Arabic | المحتمل | ||
| The word "المحتمل" comes from the Arabic root "م ح ت", which also means "to hold" or "to bear". This suggests that the word "المحتمل" originally meant something that was possible to hold or bear. | |||
Probably in Western European Languages
| Albanian | me siguri | ||
| The Albanian word "me siguri" can also indicate that there are some doubts about something or the probability of it happening is low. | |||
| Basque | seguruenik | ||
| The word "seguruenik" is derived from the Basque words "segura" (safe) and "nik" (I) | |||
| Catalan | probablement | ||
| "Probablement" comes from the Latin word "probare", meaning to test or approve, and the suffix "-ment", meaning "in a manner". It can also mean "likely" or "presumably". | |||
| Croatian | vjerojatno | ||
| The word 'vjerojatno' in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'vьrø', meaning 'belief' or 'trust'. | |||
| Danish | sandsynligvis | ||
| The word sandsynligvis is derived from the Old Norse word sannr, meaning "true", and the suffix -ligr, meaning "like". | |||
| Dutch | waarschijnlijk | ||
| The Dutch word "waarschijnlijk" is derived from the Old Dutch word "ware-schijn-lijk", meaning "according to appearance." | |||
| English | probably | ||
| The word "probably" is derived from the Latin word "probabilis," meaning "capable of being proved." | |||
| French | probablement | ||
| The French word « probablement » can also mean « likely », « presumably » or « apparently » depending on the context. | |||
| Frisian | wierskynlik | ||
| The word "wierskynlik" is derived from the Old Frisian words "wier" (true) and "schyn" (appearance). | |||
| Galician | probablemente | ||
| Galician "probablemente" derives from Greek "apodeiktikós", meaning "demonstrative". | |||
| German | wahrscheinlich | ||
| Wahrscheinlich is derived from the Middle High German word “wān”, meaning "expectation" or "hope", and the suffix "-lich", meaning "like" or "similar". | |||
| Icelandic | líklega | ||
| "Líklega" is derived from the Old Norse "líkr" which can mean either "likely" or "dead" depending on context. | |||
| Irish | is dócha | ||
| The Irish phrase "is dócha" can also mean "to be fit, proper, or likely". | |||
| Italian | probabilmente | ||
| The Italian word "probabilmente" is derived from the Latin phrase "pro babilitate" meaning "for the likelihood". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wahrscheinlech | ||
| Wahrschäinlech is derived from the German word "wahrscheinlich", which also means "probably" and is composed of "wahr" (true) and "scheinlich" (likely). | |||
| Maltese | probabbilment | ||
| "Probabbilment" is derived from the Italian word "probabilmente" and the French word "probablement," meaning "in all probability" or "it is likely." | |||
| Norwegian | sannsynligvis | ||
| "Sannsynligvis" is derived from the Old Norse word "sannr", meaning "true", and "líkligr", meaning "likely". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | provavelmente | ||
| Provavelmente is a Portuguese word that can also mean 'by chance', 'as a possibility', or 'perhaps'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | is dòcha | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word for probably "is dòcha" (pronounced "ish tokh-a") comes from the Old Irish "is dócha," an impersonal phrase meaning "it is likely". | |||
| Spanish | probablemente | ||
| "Probablemente" is derived from the Latin "probare," meaning "to test" or "to prove." | |||
| Swedish | förmodligen | ||
| The word "förmodligen" is derived from the Old Norse words "form" (shape, appearance) and "mǫguligr" (possible), and can also mean "presumably" or "apparently". | |||
| Welsh | mae'n debyg | ||
| Mae'n debyg means "probably" but is also used to express a guess, likelihood or approximation. | |||
Probably in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | напэўна | ||
| Bosnian | vjerovatno | ||
| The word 'vjerovatno' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *vьrti, meaning "to turn, to twist, to spin", and is cognate with the English word 'wary'. | |||
| Bulgarian | вероятно | ||
| The word "вероятно" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "вѣроятъ" (vyeryatъ), meaning "true", "certain". | |||
| Czech | pravděpodobně | ||
| The word "pravděpodobně" is derived from the Old Czech word "pravda," meaning "truth," and the suffix "-dobně," meaning "likely." | |||
| Estonian | ilmselt | ||
| "Ilmselt" shares the same root with "ilm" (weather). When the weather is uncertain, one says "ilmselt sajab" (probably it's going to rain). | |||
| Finnish | todennäköisesti | ||
| The word "todennäköisesti" is derived from the Finnish word "tosi" (true) and the suffix "-näköisesti" (likely). | |||
| Hungarian | valószínűleg | ||
| The Hungarian word "valószínűleg" is derived from the Slavic word "veroyatnost" (meaning "probability") and originally meant "apparently," "seemingly"} | |||
| Latvian | iespējams | ||
| The word "iespējams" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁es-, meaning "to exist", and is related to the Sanskrit word "asti" (meaning "to be") and the English word "is". | |||
| Lithuanian | tikriausiai | ||
| Tikriausiai comes from the Lithuanian word tikriausias, meaning true. | |||
| Macedonian | веројатно | ||
| The Macedonian word "веројатно" shares the same root ("ver-") as "вера" (faith or belief) and "верен" (faithful or believable). | |||
| Polish | prawdopodobnie | ||
| The word "prawdopodobnie" is derived from the Old Polish word "prawda", meaning "truth", and the suffix "-nie", indicating a state or condition. | |||
| Romanian | probabil | ||
| In Romanian, "probabil" can also mean "possible", "maybe", or have the grammatical sense of "it is likely that..." | |||
| Russian | наверное | ||
| The Russian word "наверное" is also related to the word "верный" (faithful) and has the additional meaning of "apparently". | |||
| Serbian | вероватно | ||
| "Вероватно" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "вера" (faith). | |||
| Slovak | pravdepodobne | ||
| The word "pravdepodobne" in Slovak derives from "pravda" (truth) and "podobný" (similar), implying that something is close to the truth without certainty. | |||
| Slovenian | verjetno | ||
| The word "verjetno" can also mean "likely" or "presumably" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | мабуть | ||
| "Мабуть" evolved from a 17th-century phrase meaning "I guess." | |||
Probably in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সম্ভবত | ||
| The word "সম্ভবত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "संभवतः" (sambhavatah), which means "possibly" or "probably."} | |||
| Gujarati | કદાચ | ||
| The word "કદાચ" has an alternate meaning: "approximately" | |||
| Hindi | शायद | ||
| The word "शायद" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शक्यते" meaning "possible" and is often used to express uncertainty. | |||
| Kannada | ಬಹುಶಃ | ||
| The word ಬಹುಶಃ (bahuṣaḥ) is derived from the Sanskrit word bahu, which means "much," or from the word saṃbhavatas, which could be translated as "possibly." | |||
| Malayalam | ഒരുപക്ഷേ | ||
| Marathi | कदाचित | ||
| The word "कदाचित" means "perhaps" or "maybe" in Marathi, and comes from the Sanskrit word "कदाचित्" (kadācit), which means "at some time" or "someday." | |||
| Nepali | हुनसक्छ | ||
| The word "हुनसक्छ" in Nepali is derived from the verb "हुनु" (to be) and the suffix "-सक्छ" (possibility or likelihood), conveying a sense of probability or likelihood. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਭਵ ਹੈ ਕਿ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමහරවිට | ||
| Tamil | அநேகமாக | ||
| "அநேகமாக" is derived from a Sanskrit compound "aneka" (meaning "many") and "yoga" (meaning "join"). Hence, it implies "concurrence of many". | |||
| Telugu | బహుశా | ||
| The word "బహుశా" can also mean "perhaps", "possibly", or "it is likely that". | |||
| Urdu | شاید | ||
| The word "شاید" in Urdu is derived from the Persian word "شاید" and means both "maybe" and "perhaps". | |||
Probably in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 大概 | ||
| “大概”本意为“轮廓的大致形状”，后被引申为“大概”、“可能”等含义。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 大概 | ||
| 大概 derives from its use in measuring distance as a rough estimate, with the first character, 大, meaning “large,” and the second, 概, meaning “general”. | |||
| Japanese | 多分 | ||
| 多分 is also a synonym for “perhaps” or “possibly”. | |||
| Korean | 아마 | ||
| The word "아마" can also mean "indeed" or as a noun, "a kind of linen fabric". | |||
| Mongolian | магадгүй | ||
| The word "магадгүй" is also used to indicate a possibility or likelihood | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြစ်ကောင်း | ||
Probably in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mungkin | ||
| "Mungkin" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "ma-ken", meaning "to think" or "to believe". | |||
| Javanese | bisa uga | ||
| The Javanese word "bisa uga" can also mean "maybe" or "perhaps". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រហែលជា | ||
| Lao | ອາດຈະ | ||
| "ອາດຈະ" is derived from the Pali word "อาจจ" meaning "maybe". It is also used in Thai and Khmer with the same meaning. | |||
| Malay | mungkin | ||
| The word "mungkin" also means "possible" and is derived from the Arabic word "makana" meaning "to be able to". | |||
| Thai | อาจ | ||
| The Thai word "อาจ" can also refer to a "permission" or a "potential risk". | |||
| Vietnamese | có lẽ | ||
| The word "có lẽ" can also mean "maybe" or "perhaps" and is often used to express a degree of uncertainty or speculation. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malamang | ||
Probably in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yəqin ki | ||
| The word "yəqin ki" is also used to express certainty, in which case it means "definitely" or "undoubtedly". | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкін | ||
| "Мүмкін" can mean "possible" or "maybe" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | балким | ||
| The word "балким" in Kyrgyz originally meant "maybe" and was borrowed from the Kazakh language. | |||
| Tajik | шояд | ||
| "Шояд" derives from the Persian verb "شدن" (to become) and Persian preposition "از" (from). | |||
| Turkmen | ähtimal | ||
| Uzbek | ehtimol | ||
| (Uzbek) Ehtimol is not strictly an abbreviation of ihtimol (probability), although both share the same root. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇمكىن | ||
Probably in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paha | ||
| The word is related to 'paa' which means firm or fixed, suggesting a sense of certainty or conviction. | |||
| Maori | akene | ||
| The Maori word "akene" also means "seed" or "fruit". | |||
| Samoan | masalo | ||
| In Tokelauan, the related term ‘masalo’ means ‘perhaps or maybe’ while in Niuean, ‘masalo’ refers to ‘something or someone who has no status, worth or respect’. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malamang | ||
| The Tagalog word "malamang" is likely derived from the Old Malay word "malang" meaning "unfortunate". Hence, "malamang" originally implied something being more likely to have a negative rather than positive outcome. | |||
Probably in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Guarani | ikatukuaa | ||
Probably in International Languages
| Esperanto | probable | ||
| The Esperanto word "probable" originates from the French word "probable" and also means "reasonable". | |||
| Latin | verisimile | ||
| The word "verisimile" in Latin can also mean "likely" or "seemingly true". | |||
Probably in Others Languages
| Greek | πιθανώς | ||
| The word "πιθανώς" is derived from the ancient Greek word "πειθώ," meaning "persuasion" or "belief." | |||
| Hmong | tej zaum | ||
| "Tej zaum" in Hmong can also mean "at least" or "likely". | |||
| Kurdish | dibe | ||
| The word "dibe" in Kurdish has several meanings, including "doubtful", "uncertain", and "wavering". | |||
| Turkish | muhtemelen | ||
| The Turkish word "muhtemelen" has Arabic roots and also means "likely" or "possibly". | |||
| Xhosa | mhlawumbi | ||
| The word "mhlawumbi" in Xhosa can also mean "maybe" or "possibly". | |||
| Yiddish | מסתּמא | ||
| The Yiddish word "מסתּמא" (probably) is derived from the Hebrew word "must"," meaning "it is certain" or "it is bound to be." | |||
| Zulu | mhlawumbe | ||
| "Mhlawumbe" has different connotations: certainty when said loudly in an authoritative voice, but tentativeness when whispered. | |||
| Assamese | সম্ভৱতঃ | ||
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | हो सके | ||
| Dhivehi | ޔަޤީނާ ގާތަށް | ||
| Dogri | खबरै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malamang | ||
| Guarani | ikatukuaa | ||
| Ilocano | sa | ||
| Krio | sɔntɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەگەر | ||
| Maithili | संभवतः | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯏꯊꯣꯛꯄ ꯌꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | maithei | ||
| Oromo | tarii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୋଧହୁଏ | | ||
| Quechua | ichapas | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रायेण | ||
| Tatar | мөгаен | ||
| Tigrinya | ናይ ምዃን ዕድል | ||
| Tsonga | kumbexana | ||