Shortly in Different Languages
Discover 'Shortly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'shortly' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the imminence of an event or action. It's a small word that carries a big punch, adding a sense of urgency and anticipation to our conversations and writings. But did you know that this common English word has fascinating translations in various languages, offering a glimpse into different cultural perspectives?
For instance, in Spanish, 'shortly' translates to 'brevemente', which also means 'briefly'. In German, it's 'bald', which can also mean 'soon'. In French, 'shortly' becomes 'bientôt', a term that not only signifies 'shortly' but also 'soon' and 'before long'. These translations not only bridge language gaps but also uncover cultural nuances, making 'shortly' a truly global word.
Delving into the translations of 'shortly' in different languages is more than just a language lesson. It's a journey through culture, history, and human connection. So, let's explore together the many faces of 'shortly'.
Shortly
Shortly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | binnekort | ||
| The Afrikaans word "binnekort" is derived from the Dutch "binnenkort," which originally meant "within a short time." | |||
| Amharic | ብዙም ሳይቆይ | ||
| The phrase "ብዙም ሳይቆይ" (bezium say koy) is also used to mean "without much trouble" or "easily" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | jim kadan | ||
| The word "jim kadan" literally translates to "wait a bit" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | n'oge na-adịghị anya | ||
| Malagasy | kelin'ny | ||
| The Malagasy word "kelin'ny" can also mean "a little bit" or "slightly." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | posachedwa | ||
| The word "posachedwa" is derived from the roots "posa" (to finish) and "chedwa" (a short time). | |||
| Shona | munguva pfupi | ||
| Munguva pfupi is also an imperative form meaning "get out of the way." | |||
| Somali | muddo yar kadib | ||
| "Muddo yar ka dib" is a loanword from Arabic "mudda yaqīrah ba'd", meaning "a short time after". | |||
| Sesotho | haufinyane | ||
| In certain contexts, "haufinyane" can also refer to the point of being or coming to a halt. | |||
| Swahili | hivi karibuni | ||
| The Swahili word "hivi karibuni" can also mean "recently" or "in the near future". | |||
| Xhosa | kungekudala | ||
| The word "kungekudala" is derived from the noun "ukuqina","strength" or "hardness" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ni kete | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "ni kete" has several meanings, including "briefly", "for a moment", and "momentarily." | |||
| Zulu | kungekudala | ||
| "Kungekudala" is derived from the verb "kungela", meaning "to expect", but it can also refer to "being near" or "to be ready". | |||
| Bambara | waati dɔɔnin kɔnɔ | ||
| Ewe | kpuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | vuba | ||
| Lingala | na mwa ntango moke | ||
| Luganda | mu bbanga ttono | ||
| Sepedi | kgauswinyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bere tiaa bi mu | ||
Shortly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قريبا | ||
| قريبا (shortly) is an adverb in Arabic that can also mean "soon". | |||
| Hebrew | בְּקָרוּב | ||
| The word "בְּקָרוּב" is a combination of the preposition "בְּ" (in) and the noun "קָרוּב" (near), meaning "in the near future". | |||
| Pashto | لنډه | ||
| In Pashto, "لنډه" (laṇḍa) is also the imperative form of the verb "لندول" (lanḍawul), meaning to cut or shorten something, highlighting its semantic connection to conciseness and brevity. | |||
| Arabic | قريبا | ||
| قريبا (shortly) is an adverb in Arabic that can also mean "soon". | |||
Shortly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | së shpejti | ||
| Së shpejti can also mean „soon" or "quickly". | |||
| Basque | laster | ||
| The word 'laster' in Basque also means 'last', 'finally', 'in the end', among other meanings. | |||
| Catalan | en breu | ||
| Catalan "en breu" is a cognate of Middle French "en brief" meaning "in a summary" or "in a concise manner". | |||
| Croatian | ukratko | ||
| The Croatian word "ukratko" derives from the Proto-Slavic *orkъ, "at the time," and a Slavic suffix *otko, which denotes "diminutive." | |||
| Danish | inden længe | ||
| 'Inden længe' also relates to time in a wider sense of the phrase meaning 'before long'. | |||
| Dutch | binnenkort | ||
| The word "binnenkort" in Dutch also means "within a short distance" in nautical contexts. | |||
| English | shortly | ||
| The word "shortly" is derived from the Old English word "shortlice," which means "quickly" or "in a short time." | |||
| French | prochainement | ||
| In French, "prochainement" can also mean "the next [thing]" or "in the near future". | |||
| Frisian | koart | ||
| The word "koart" in Frisian is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "kaurta-/, meaning "short". | |||
| Galician | en breve | ||
| "En breve", besides meaning "in short" (or "shortly") also means "on a short notice" (in the sense "to be informed about a meeting, etc., on the same day as or even after its celebration") in Galician. | |||
| German | in kürze | ||
| "In Kürze" refers to a period of "kurze Zeit", meaning "a short time" or "soon." | |||
| Icelandic | innan skamms | ||
| In Old Norse, "skammr" could also mean "small" or "narrow". So "innan skamms" literally translates to "within smallness", an apt description for a short duration of time. | |||
| Irish | gan mhoill | ||
| The archaic spelling of this word was "gan mhoill" and it also meant "without delay". | |||
| Italian | in breve | ||
| In breve is a Latin phrase that means "in short". It is often used in Italian to indicate that a statement is about to be summarized or concluded. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kuerz | ||
| The word "kuerz" in Luxembourgish is derived from "kurz" in German, meaning "short", and is ultimately derived from the Latin word "curtus", meaning "cut off". | |||
| Maltese | dalwaqt | ||
| "Dalwaqt" comes from the Arabic "dal-waqt", "when-the-time", as time passes.} | |||
| Norwegian | om kort tid | ||
| Om kort tid' also means that something will happen in a very short time. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em breve | ||
| The term "Em breve" in Portuguese is derived from the Latin words "in brevi," meaning "within a short time". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a dh'aithghearr | ||
| 'A dh'aithghearr' refers to a short length of time, but can also mean 'soon' or 'in a moment.' | |||
| Spanish | dentro de poco | ||
| The Spanish phrase "dentro de poco" derives from "dentro de" meaning "inside of" and "poco" meaning "a short period." | |||
| Swedish | inom kort | ||
| The Swedish word "inom kort" can also mean "within a short period of time". | |||
| Welsh | yn fuan | ||
| The word "yn fuan" can also mean "in a moment" or "in a little while". | |||
Shortly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | у хуткім часе | ||
| Bosnian | uskoro | ||
| The word "uskoro" can also mean "soon" or "in a little while" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | скоро | ||
| The word "скоро" also has the alternate meaning of "at once, immediately". | |||
| Czech | krátce | ||
| The word "krátce" also has the meaning "recently" or "a while ago". | |||
| Estonian | varsti | ||
| The word "varsti" likely comes from the Proto-Finnic verb stem *varta- "to wait, to guard". | |||
| Finnish | pian | ||
| The word "pian" also means "very soon" or "in a moment". | |||
| Hungarian | hamarosan | ||
| The word 'hamarosan' in Hungarian is derived from the word 'hamara', which means 'immediately' or 'presently'. | |||
| Latvian | drīz | ||
| The word "drīz" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *drēgh-, meaning "to run" or "to stretch out." | |||
| Lithuanian | netrukus | ||
| "Netrukus" is a contraction of "netrukti", which can also mean "to be not long in coming" or "to happen soon". | |||
| Macedonian | наскоро | ||
| наскоро is also used as an adverb meaning "recently" and is derived from the Slavic word *na-skora* or *na-skoro* meaning "at the end" or "at the end of the week". | |||
| Polish | wkrótce | ||
| The word "wkrótce" can also mean "soon to be" or "about to be" in Polish, indicating a future state or event that is likely to happen. | |||
| Romanian | pe scurt | ||
| The Romanian phrase "pe scurt" derives from the Latin expression "in brevi," which also translates to "in a few words" or "briefly." | |||
| Russian | скоро | ||
| The word "скоро" can also mean "soon" or "quickly" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | кратко | ||
| The word "кратко" in Serbian can also mean "briefly" or "concisely". | |||
| Slovak | zakrátko | ||
| "Zakrátko" is derived from the Proto-West Slavic word "za kratьko", meaning either "in a brief moment" or "in a brief distance". | |||
| Slovenian | kmalu | ||
| The word "kmalu" originally meant "a short while" but over time its meaning has shifted to "soon". | |||
| Ukrainian | незабаром | ||
| "Незабаром" is derived from Old Church Slavonic and literally means "without delay". | |||
Shortly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শীঘ্রই | ||
| The word "শীঘ্রই" derives from Sanskrit sources, meaning both "hastily" and "in a short while". | |||
| Gujarati | ટૂંક સમયમાં | ||
| This word, meaning also 'in brief' in Gujarati, is often used in the sense of the English 'soon' or 'in a short time'. | |||
| Hindi | कुछ ही देर में | ||
| 'कुछ ही देर में' is a phrase in Hindi that literally means 'in a few moments'. | |||
| Kannada | ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ | ||
| Malayalam | താമസിയാതെ | ||
| താമസിയാതെ originally meant "with no delay" and was used in the context of rituals and sacrifices | |||
| Marathi | लवकरच | ||
| "लवकरच" (lavkarach) is a Marathi word that literally means "quickly" and is often used to indicate "soon" or "in the near future." | |||
| Nepali | चाँडै | ||
| 'चाँडै' is cognate with the Hindi word 'चांदनी' ('moonlight'), referring to the speed or suddenness with which light from the moon can appear. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਲਦੀ ਹੀ | ||
| The word "ਜਲਦੀ ਹੀ" in Punjabi can also mean immediately, as soon as possible, or in a hurry. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ළඟදීම | ||
| 'ළඟදීම' derives from 'ළඟ' ('near, nearby') and 'දීම' ('to be given') and it can also mean 'in the end' or 'when the time arrives'. | |||
| Tamil | விரைவில் | ||
| The Tamil word "விரைவில்" can also refer to "early" or "immediately." | |||
| Telugu | త్వరలో | ||
| The word 'త్వరలో' also means 'in a short time' or 'soon' in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | جلد ہی | ||
| Also, colloquially, "جلد ہی" is used to denote "after a while" | |||
Shortly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不久 | ||
| 不久 also means 'a short while ago' or 'some time ago'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不久 | ||
| 不久 also means "not long ago". | |||
| Japanese | まもなく | ||
| "まもなく" is the contraction of "まもなくあらんとする", which means "being about to happen soon". | |||
| Korean | 곧 | ||
| 곧 originally meant "straight, not crooked" and is also used to mean "immediately, without delay. | |||
| Mongolian | удахгүй | ||
| The word "удахгүй" can also refer to a person who is impatient or quick-tempered. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မကြာမီ | ||
Shortly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | segera | ||
| "Segera" comes from the Sanskrit word "sigra" which means "fast" or "quick". | |||
| Javanese | sakedap | ||
| The word "sakedap" in Javanese can also mean "a little while" or "a short time". | |||
| Khmer | មិនយូរប៉ុន្មាន | ||
| Lao | ບໍ່ດົນ | ||
| Malay | sebentar lagi | ||
| The phrase "sebentar lagi" can also mean "a moment ago" when used with the prefix "tadi". | |||
| Thai | ในไม่ช้า | ||
| The Thai word ในไม่ช้า literally means "in not slow" or "not long". | |||
| Vietnamese | trong thời gian ngắn | ||
| Trong thời gian ngắn is a Vietnamese phrase that literally means 'in a short time', but can also be used to refer to a short period of time or to something that will happen soon. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maya-maya | ||
Shortly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qısa müddətdə | ||
| The word “qısa müddətdə” is also used to express “briefly” or “within a short time” in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қысқаша | ||
| The word "қысқаша" in Kazakh can also mean "briefly" or "in a nutshell". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыска убакытта | ||
| The word "кыска убакытта" can also mean "a short time ago" or "recently" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ба зудӣ | ||
| The word "ба зудӣ" is derived from the Persian word "زود" (zood), which means "quickly" or "promptly". | |||
| Turkmen | gysga wagtda | ||
| Uzbek | qisqa vaqt ichida | ||
| The Uzbek phrase "qisqa vaqt ichida" is derived from the words "qisqa" (short) and "vaqt" (time), and is also used to mean "a little while ago" or "recently". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇزۇن ئۆتمەي | ||
Shortly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōkole | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pōkole" can also mean "small" or "few". | |||
| Maori | tata nei | ||
| "Tata nei" is an informal and colloquial way of saying "later" or "bye" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | lata mai | ||
| "Lata mai" also means "now" or "immediately" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sandali | ||
| 'Sandali' in Tagalog can also be interpreted as 'a while' or 'a moment'. | |||
Shortly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mä juk’a pachatxa | ||
| Guarani | mbykymi | ||
Shortly in International Languages
| Esperanto | baldaŭ | ||
| The word "baldaŭ" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰelǵ-, meaning "to swell" or "to puff up" | |||
| Latin | paulo | ||
| The word "paulo" may also be a contraction of "parvo" (with an "a" interpolated later) and signify "slightly, a bit" or "narrowly". | |||
Shortly in Others Languages
| Greek | σύντομα | ||
| Σύντομα originated from "συντεμνω", "συντονος" (abbreviated, brief, concise) which is a compound of "συν" (with, together) and "τεμνω" (cut, separate) indicating "cutting off together"} | |||
| Hmong | tsocai | ||
| The word "tsocai" can also refer to a time that is soon or about to happen. | |||
| Kurdish | bi kurtî | ||
| The word "bi kurtî" in Kurdish is a compound of "bi" (with) and "kurtî" (shortness), and it can also mean "in a short time" or "briefly". | |||
| Turkish | kısaca | ||
| "Kısaca" derives from the Arabic word "kisas" meaning "short story". | |||
| Xhosa | kungekudala | ||
| The word "kungekudala" is derived from the noun "ukuqina","strength" or "hardness" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | באַלד | ||
| The Yiddish word "באַלד" has the same root as the German word "bald", meaning "soon". | |||
| Zulu | kungekudala | ||
| "Kungekudala" is derived from the verb "kungela", meaning "to expect", but it can also refer to "being near" or "to be ready". | |||
| Assamese | অলপতে | ||
| Aymara | mä juk’a pachatxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कुछ देर में | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑައިރުކޮޅަކުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | थोड़ी देर च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maya-maya | ||
| Guarani | mbykymi | ||
| Ilocano | apagbiit laeng | ||
| Krio | shɔt tɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەم زووانە | ||
| Maithili | थोड़ेक काल मे | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯨꯅꯥ ꯌꯥꯡꯅꯥ ꯆꯠꯀꯅꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | rei lo teah | ||
| Oromo | yeroo gabaabaa keessatti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖୁବ୍ ଶୀଘ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | pisi tiempollapi | ||
| Sanskrit | अचिरेण | ||
| Tatar | тиздән | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣብ ሓጺር ግዜ | ||
| Tsonga | hi ku hatlisa | ||