Sometimes in Different Languages
Discover 'Sometimes' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sometimes' is a small but powerful part of our vocabulary. It signifies uncertainty, a departure from the norm, and the excitement of the unexpected. 'Sometimes' allows us to express that something may not always be true or happen, opening up a world of possibilities.
Culturally, the concept behind 'sometimes' is universal, yet the way we express it can vary greatly among languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'sometimes' translates to 'a veces', while in French, it's 'parfois', and in German, 'manchmal'. These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer a glimpse into the unique ways different cultures perceive and communicate the idea.
Delving into the translations of 'sometimes' is a fascinating journey that uncovers intriguing cultural nuances and historical contexts. Join us as we explore how this simple word is expressed in various languages around the world.
Sometimes
Sometimes in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | soms | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'soms' (sometimes) originates from the Dutch 'zomtijds'. | |||
| Amharic | አንዳንድ ጊዜ | ||
| Hausa | wani lokacin | ||
| "Wani lokacin" can also mean "occasion" or "once". | |||
| Igbo | mgbe ụfọdụ | ||
| Malagasy | indraindray | ||
| The word 'indraindray' likely originates from the Malayo-Polynesian root 'indai', meaning 'at times'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthawi zina | ||
| The word "nthawi zina" can also mean "occasionally" or "from time to time". | |||
| Shona | dzimwe nguva | ||
| Somali | mararka qaar | ||
| The word "mararka qaar" is often used interchangeably with "marmar", with the former being preferred in formal settings. | |||
| Sesotho | ka linako tse ling | ||
| Swahili | mara nyingine | ||
| The Swahili word "mara nyingine" can also mean "occasionally" or "at some other time". | |||
| Xhosa | ngamaxesha athile | ||
| The literal translation of "ngamaxesha athile" is "at some times". | |||
| Yoruba | nigbakan | ||
| The word "nigbakan" can also mean "now and then" or "occasionally" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kwesinye isikhathi | ||
| The phrase kwesinye isikhathi, meaning 'sometimes,' can be literally translated as 'occasion of time.' | |||
| Bambara | tuma dɔ | ||
| Ewe | ɣeaɖewoɣi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | rimwe na rimwe | ||
| Lingala | bantango mosusu | ||
| Luganda | oluusi | ||
| Sepedi | nako tše dingwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛtɔ da a | ||
Sometimes in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بعض الأحيان | ||
| "بعض الأحيان" in Arabic means both "sometimes" and "at times" in English. | |||
| Hebrew | לִפְעָמִים | ||
| The word "לִפְעָמִים" (sometimes) in Hebrew shares its root with the word "פעם" (time), suggesting an occurrence or repetition of a particular event. | |||
| Pashto | ځینې وختونه | ||
| In Pashto, the word "ځینې وختونه" can also translate to "in some places" or "on some occasions." | |||
| Arabic | بعض الأحيان | ||
| "بعض الأحيان" in Arabic means both "sometimes" and "at times" in English. | |||
Sometimes in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndonjehere | ||
| The word "ndonjehere" can also mean "some" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | batzuetan | ||
| The word "batzuetan" in Basque originally meant "occasionally" and is related to the word "batzuek" meaning "some". | |||
| Catalan | de vegades | ||
| "De vegades" originally meant "many times," and over time it came to mean "occasionally." | |||
| Croatian | ponekad | ||
| "Ponekad" shares its root with "ponovno" ("again"). | |||
| Danish | sommetider | ||
| Somme tider (literally “on some hours”) refers to an indefinite number between two and eight. | |||
| Dutch | soms | ||
| The Dutch word "soms" ultimately derives from Old English "sum" and can also mean "a little bit". | |||
| English | sometimes | ||
| The word 'sometimes' derives from the Old English words 'som' (some) and 'tiid' (time), and it can also mean 'at some time' or 'in the past'. | |||
| French | parfois | ||
| "Parfois" is derived from the Latin phrase "pars" and "fois", meaning "part" and "time", respectively. | |||
| Frisian | somtiden | ||
| "Somtiden" is an archaic spelling of "somtiids" in western dialects and can mean "sometimes" but also "now and then" | |||
| Galician | ás veces | ||
| In Galician, "ás veces" literally means "at times". | |||
| German | manchmal | ||
| In Old High German, 'manchmal' meant 'at leisure' or 'for no reason'. | |||
| Icelandic | stundum | ||
| The word "stundum" originated in the Norse word "stunde" (a period of the day or night), and in Icelandic it can also refer to certain times of the day (such as morning or evening). | |||
| Irish | uaireanta | ||
| The Irish word "uaireanta" can also mean "occasionally" and "periodically" and may be found in the latter sense in medical and scientific writing. | |||
| Italian | a volte | ||
| The Italian phrase 'a volte' has an additional meaning that can be translated to 'around' or 'about' in English. | |||
| Luxembourgish | heiansdo | ||
| The word "heiansdo" also means "every now and then" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | kultant | ||
| In Maltese, "kultant" is also used to denote "in the meantime" or "eventually". | |||
| Norwegian | noen ganger | ||
| "Noen Ganger" literally means "A few walks" in the Norwegian language. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | as vezes | ||
| The Portuguese word 'as vezes' directly translates to 'the times', hinting its original meaning of 'at times' or 'from time to time'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uaireannan | ||
| "Uaireannan" can be used to mean "sometimes" or "occasionally." | |||
| Spanish | algunas veces | ||
| The term "algunas veces" can also mean "a few times", highlighting its role in denoting frequency. | |||
| Swedish | ibland | ||
| Ibland originates from the Old Norse word "íbland", meaning "in between" or "at times". | |||
| Welsh | weithiau | ||
| The word "weithiau" in Welsh can also mean "occasions"} | |||
Sometimes in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | часам | ||
| The word "часам" also means "occasionally" and "from time to time". | |||
| Bosnian | ponekad | ||
| "Ponekad" is a Croatian word meaning "sometimes" and is similar to the Bosnian word "katkada." | |||
| Bulgarian | понякога | ||
| The word "понякога" can also mean "occasionally" | |||
| Czech | někdy | ||
| The word "někdy" can also mean "anytime" or "at some point" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | mõnikord | ||
| Mõnikord is derived from mõni "some" + kord "time"} | |||
| Finnish | joskus | ||
| The word "joskus" can also refer to a specific time that something will or will not occur, particularly in negative and conditional scenarios. | |||
| Hungarian | néha | ||
| The word "néha" also means "once" and is derived from the phrase "nem egyszer" (not once). | |||
| Latvian | dažreiz | ||
| The term "dažreiz" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word "daž-," meaning "often" or "repeatedly." | |||
| Lithuanian | kartais | ||
| "Kartais" may also be an ancient form of "kartaisai" (army). | |||
| Macedonian | понекогаш | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "понекогаш" originally referred to "once in a while" or "rarely". | |||
| Polish | czasami | ||
| The word 'czasami' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*čьso', meaning 'time', and the suffix '-mi', indicating plurality. | |||
| Romanian | uneori | ||
| In old Romanian, "uneori" literally meant "in hours", a sense that remains in the expression "de multe ori" ("many times"). | |||
| Russian | иногда | ||
| Иногда (иногда) восходит к древнерусскому "иноди" (иногда), которое в свою очередь произошло от слова "инъ" (иной). | |||
| Serbian | понекад | ||
| The word "ponekad" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ob-nьkada, which also gave rise to the Russian word "иногда" and the Polish word "niekiedy." | |||
| Slovak | niekedy | ||
| The word "niekedy" originally meant "never" in Old Slovak, and only later acquired its current meaning. | |||
| Slovenian | včasih | ||
| The stem -vča- in včasih derives from *več- and has a meaning of 'more' or 'often'. | |||
| Ukrainian | іноді | ||
| The word 'іноді' in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'inъkada,' which originally meant 'some time.' | |||
Sometimes in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কখনও কখনও | ||
| কখনও কখনও' শব্দটির উদ্ভব সংস্কৃত 'कदापि कदाचन' থেকে, যা 'কখনো' ও 'কিছুক্ষণের জন্য' অর্থে ব্যবহৃত হয়। | |||
| Gujarati | ક્યારેક | ||
| The Gujarati word "ક્યારેક" (kyarek) has an extended meaning of "once upon a time" or "in the past" which is not present in its English equivalent. | |||
| Hindi | कभी कभी | ||
| The word "कभी कभी" can also mean "once upon a time" or "occasionally" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ | ||
| Malayalam | ചിലപ്പോൾ | ||
| "ചിലപ്പോൾ" (sometimes) is a contraction of the words "ചില" (a few) and "പോൾ" (time), indicating an occurrence that takes place on a few occasions. | |||
| Marathi | कधीकधी | ||
| The word कधीकधी is a compound word formed from the words कधी ("when") and कधी ("when") meaning "at some point in time". It can also be used to mean "occasionally". | |||
| Nepali | कहिलेकाँही | ||
| The word "कहिलेकाँही" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कदाचित्", which means "perhaps" or "possibly". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਦੇ ਕਦੇ | ||
| The word "ਕਦੇ ਕਦੇ" can also mean "every now and then" or "from time to time" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමහර විට | ||
| Tamil | சில நேரங்களில் | ||
| Telugu | కొన్నిసార్లు | ||
| Urdu | کبھی کبھی | ||
| In Hindi, "कभी कभी" also means "in due course," "eventually," or "from time to time," emphasizing the certainty of an event's occurrence in the future. | |||
Sometimes in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 有时 | ||
| 有时 (yǒu shí) also means "at times", "on occasion", or "now and then". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 有時 | ||
| "有時" is literally "there are times" and has meanings such as "periodically", "sometimes", and "occasionally". | |||
| Japanese | 時々 | ||
| The word "時々" can also mean "from time to time" or "occasionally". | |||
| Korean | 때때로 | ||
| Originally 떼때로 and composed of the Sino-Korean words for "group" and "time" (떼 and 때), meaning "at group times". | |||
| Mongolian | заримдаа | ||
| The word “заримдаа” is derived from the Mongolian root “зарим”, meaning “some, certain”. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တစ်ခါတစ်ရံ | ||
Sometimes in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terkadang | ||
| The term 'terkadang' derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *ta-kadaŋ, meaning 'interval'. Hence, it can also imply 'occasionally', 'periodically', or 'sporadically'. | |||
| Javanese | kadang | ||
| The Javanese word "kadang" also means "occasionally" or "every once in a while". | |||
| Khmer | ពេលខ្លះ | ||
| The word "ពេលខ្លះ" can also mean "occasionally" or "from time to time". | |||
| Lao | ບາງຄັ້ງ | ||
| Malay | kadangkala | ||
| The word "kadangkala" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "kathaṃkala" meaning "now and then" or "at times". | |||
| Thai | บางครั้ง | ||
| The word "บางครั้ง" is used in Thai to mean both "sometimes" and "occasionally." | |||
| Vietnamese | đôi khi | ||
| The Vietnamese word "đôi khi" derives from the Chinese phrase "有時", also meaning "sometimes". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minsan | ||
Sometimes in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bəzən | ||
| The word "bəzən" comes from the Persian word "bazan" which means "very often". | |||
| Kazakh | кейде | ||
| The word "кейде" in Kazakh has the alternate meaning of "somewhere". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кээде | ||
| "Кээде" in Kyrgyz can also refer to "a little bit" or a small amount of something. | |||
| Tajik | баъзан | ||
| The word "баъзан" is ultimately derived from the Persian word "بز" meaning "goat" and the Tajik suffix "-он," which denotes time. Thus, "баъзан" literally means "goat-time," or a time when goats are active, which is typically in the evening or at night. | |||
| Turkmen | käwagt | ||
| Uzbek | ba'zan | ||
| The word "ba'zan" can also refer to a type of wooden crate used to store food or other items. | |||
| Uyghur | بەزىدە | ||
Sometimes in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | i kekahi manawa | ||
| The Hawaiian phrase 'i kekahi manawa' can also mean 'occasionally' or 'at times'. | |||
| Maori | i etahi wa | ||
| The term 'i etahi wa' is derived from the Maori words 'i etahi' (some) and 'wa' (time), indicating a specific or unspecified time or occasion. | |||
| Samoan | o isi taimi | ||
| The Samoan phrase "o isi taimi" can also mean "sometimes", "occasionally", or "now and then". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | minsan | ||
| "Minsan" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian "*insaŋ" meaning "at some time". | |||
Sometimes in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yaqhippacha | ||
| Guarani | akóinte | ||
Sometimes in International Languages
| Esperanto | iafoje | ||
| The word "iafoje" can also mean "now and then" or "on occasion". | |||
| Latin | numquam | ||
| The Latin word "numquam" is a contraction of "nē ūmquam," meaning "not ever" or "never". | |||
Sometimes in Others Languages
| Greek | ωρες ωρες | ||
| The word 'ωρες ωρες' comes from the word 'ωρα', which means 'hour' or 'time', and is an idiom that means 'from time to time' or 'occasionally'. | |||
| Hmong | qee zaum | ||
| The word "qee zaum" can also mean "every now and then" or "occasionally". | |||
| Kurdish | carna | ||
| The word "carna" is thought to originate from the Persian word "kār" (work), implying a connection between time and the completion of tasks. | |||
| Turkish | ara sıra | ||
| The word "ara sıra" is derived from the Persian phrase "āre sāre", meaning "occasionally" or "from time to time". | |||
| Xhosa | ngamaxesha athile | ||
| The literal translation of "ngamaxesha athile" is "at some times". | |||
| Yiddish | יז | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "יז" can also mean "yes" in certain contexts. | |||
| Zulu | kwesinye isikhathi | ||
| The phrase kwesinye isikhathi, meaning 'sometimes,' can be literally translated as 'occasion of time.' | |||
| Assamese | কেতিয়াবা | ||
| Aymara | yaqhippacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | कब्बो कब्बो | ||
| Dhivehi | ބައެއް ފަހަރު | ||
| Dogri | केईं बारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | minsan | ||
| Guarani | akóinte | ||
| Ilocano | no dadduma | ||
| Krio | sɔntɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەندێک جار | ||
| Maithili | कखनो कखनो | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯔꯤꯒꯨꯝꯕ ꯃꯇꯝꯗ | ||
| Mizo | achangin | ||
| Oromo | yeroo tokko tokko | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବେଳେବେଳେ | | ||
| Quechua | yaqa sapa kuti | ||
| Sanskrit | कदाचित् | ||
| Tatar | кайвакыт | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓደ ሓደ ግዘ | ||
| Tsonga | nkarhi wun'wana | ||