Soon in Different Languages
Discover 'Soon' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'soon' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, indicating a period of time that is not quite now, but not far off either. It's a word we use to instill a sense of anticipation, hope, and positivity. But did you know that the cultural importance of 'soon' varies greatly around the world?
For instance, in some African cultures, the concept of 'soon' is relative and can mean anything from a few hours to a few days. In contrast, German culture values punctuality and precision, making 'soon' a more calculated term. And in Japan, where the concept of 'ma' (間) - the space or time between things - is highly valued, 'soon' takes on a whole new meaning.
Understanding the translation of 'soon' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights and nuances. Here are a few examples: 'pronto' (Italian), 'bientôt' (French), 'aldrei' (Icelandic), 'ientraument' (Aragonese), and 'balangkas' (Filipino).
Soon
Soon in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | binnekort | ||
| The Afrikaans word "binnekort" is a compound of the words "binne" (within) and "kort" (short), meaning "within a short time". | |||
| Amharic | በቅርቡ | ||
| The word "በቅርቡ" can also mean "recently" or "lately". | |||
| Hausa | anjima | ||
| The word "anjima" in Hausa also means "instantly" or "right away". | |||
| Igbo | ngwa ngwa | ||
| In Igbo language, the word 'ngwa ngwa' can mean either 'quickly' as in to hurry up or it can also mean 'a long time ago' depending on its context and usage in a sentence. | |||
| Malagasy | tsy ho ela | ||
| "Tsy ho ela" literally means "not much time." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | posachedwa | ||
| The word "posachedwa" is derived from the verb "kuchedwa", meaning "to delay", and the prefix "po-", indicating "a short time". It is used to express the idea of something happening shortly. | |||
| Shona | munguva pfupi | ||
| Somali | ugu dhakhsaha badan | ||
| "Ugu dhakhsaha badan" is also the name of a Somali dish made from rice, meat, and vegetables. | |||
| Sesotho | haufinyane | ||
| The word "haufinyane" originated from the word "haufinyana" which means "a period of time" or "a little while". | |||
| Swahili | hivi karibuni | ||
| The Swahili word "hivi karibuni" is derived from the words "karibuni" (welcome) and "hivi" (now). | |||
| Xhosa | kungekudala | ||
| The word kungekudala, meaning 'soon,' also connotatively signifies a sense of anticipation and readiness to respond quickly. | |||
| Yoruba | laipe | ||
| "Laipe" in Yoruba also refers to a time that is "not too far"} | |||
| Zulu | kungekudala | ||
| The word 'kungekudala' has alternate meanings of 'suddenly,' 'quickly,' and 'in an unexpected way.' | |||
| Bambara | sɔɔni | ||
| Ewe | madidi o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | vuba | ||
| Lingala | kala mingi te | ||
| Luganda | mangu ddala | ||
| Sepedi | ka pela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛnkyɛ | ||
Soon in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هكذا | ||
| The word "هكذا" is also a preposition that means "like this," "thus," or "in this manner." | |||
| Hebrew | בקרוב | ||
| "בקרוב" (B'krov) in Hebrew can refer to the physical proximity of something in space and time, as well as the upcoming arrival of an event. | |||
| Pashto | ژر | ||
| "ژر" (Pashto) is also an obsolete term for "speed, quickness" and is related to the Sanskrit word "ghora" (fast). | |||
| Arabic | هكذا | ||
| The word "هكذا" is also a preposition that means "like this," "thus," or "in this manner." | |||
Soon in Western European Languages
| Albanian | së shpejti | ||
| “Së shpejti,” besides its main meaning of “soon,” is also idiomatically used to translate “very much” or “a lot” and “immediately” or “right now” — the latter from the root “shpej,” meaning “speed”. | |||
| Basque | laster | ||
| The Basque word "laster" can also mean "shortly" or "in a short time." | |||
| Catalan | aviat | ||
| «Aviat» derives from Latin «ad vesper ad» (meaning sunset) suggesting the time towards the end of the day. | |||
| Croatian | uskoro | ||
| "Uskoro" in Croatian is borrowed from Italian "uscoro" meaning "out of season" and is now used as an adverb to indicate "near future". | |||
| Danish | snart | ||
| The Danish word "snart" also means "quickly" or "immediately". | |||
| Dutch | spoedig | ||
| The Dutch word `spoedig` originally meant `prosperous` but gained its current meaning in the 16th century. | |||
| English | soon | ||
| The word 'soon' derives from the Old English word 'sona', meaning 'immediately' or 'at once'. | |||
| French | bientôt | ||
| The word "bientôt" can also mean "a little later" or "in a while" in French. | |||
| Frisian | gau | ||
| The word "gau" can also mean "immediately" or "at once" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | en breve | ||
| Galician "en breve" also means "shortly, immediately, soon, promptly, directly, in a moment" | |||
| German | demnächst | ||
| The word "demnächst" is a contraction of the Middle High German phrase "den nachst," meaning "the nearest." | |||
| Icelandic | brátt | ||
| The word "brátt" derives from the Old Norse word "brattr" meaning "steep" or "swift". | |||
| Irish | go luath | ||
| The Irish word for "soon" can also refer to haste, suddenness, or speed in addition to "soon". | |||
| Italian | presto | ||
| The origin of "presto" is linked to an Old Italian word "praesto," meaning "at hand," related to the Greek verb "paristanai" ("to cause to stand alongside, to cause to be ready"). | |||
| Luxembourgish | geschwënn | ||
| Geschwënn is derived from the Middle Dutch 'scone' meaning 'beautiful', and has a secondary meaning of 'quickly' | |||
| Maltese | dalwaqt | ||
| Maltese "dalwaqt" originated from the Sicilian word "talliata", which later gave rise to "taljatu". | |||
| Norwegian | snart | ||
| Snart, pronounced the same but spelled differently, means "smart". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em breve | ||
| In Portuguese, "em breve" can also mean "in short" or "in a nutshell." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a dh'aithghearr | ||
| The word 'a dh'aithghearr' means "very quickly" or "very soon" but is usually translated as simply "soon". | |||
| Spanish | pronto | ||
| Pronto also refers to a "quick loan", with "hacerse un pronto" meaning "to get a quick loan". | |||
| Swedish | snart | ||
| The word "snart" in Swedish also means "clever" or "quick-witted". | |||
| Welsh | yn fuan | ||
| The Welsh word "yn fuan" can also mean "shortly" or "in a little while". | |||
Soon in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хутка | ||
| {"text": "The Belarusian word "хутка" derives from the Old Slavic "скоро," which is related to the words "short" and "hurry."}" | |||
| Bosnian | uskoro | ||
| The word 'uskoro' in Bosnian is of Slavic origin and has different shades of meaning, depending on the context, ranging from 'speedily' to 'in the near future'. | |||
| Bulgarian | скоро | ||
| The word 'скоро' also carries the meaning of 'quickly' or 'in a hasty manner', which is apparent in phrases like 'скоропостижно' ('hastily') and 'скоротечно' ('short-lived'). | |||
| Czech | již brzy | ||
| The word 'již brzy' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'brzo', which also meant 'early' or 'quickly' | |||
| Estonian | varsti | ||
| Varasti is derived from 'varsti' ('hour') and shares the same root with 'varajane' ('early'). | |||
| Finnish | pian | ||
| The word "pian" can also refer to a "short space of time" or an "instant". | |||
| Hungarian | hamar | ||
| The word 'hamar' is also used to express impatience or a desire for something to happen quickly. | |||
| Latvian | drīz | ||
| "Drīz" means "soon" in Latvian, but it is also used to describe something that is about to happen or something that is expected to happen in the near future. | |||
| Lithuanian | netrukus | ||
| The word "netrukus" in Lithuanian has also been used to mean "momentarily" or "immediately" in older texts. | |||
| Macedonian | наскоро | ||
| The word "наскоро" is an adverb of time, derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "скоро", with alternate meanings referring to "early" or "immediately." | |||
| Polish | wkrótce | ||
| The word "wkrótce" is also used to indicate "almost" or "nearly", e.g. "wkrótce południe" (almost noon). | |||
| Romanian | curând | ||
| The Romanian word "curând" is derived from the Latin word "currens", meaning "running", and initially had the meaning of "swiftly", "quickly", "hastily". | |||
| Russian | скоро | ||
| The word "скоро" can also mean "fast" or "quickly" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | ускоро | ||
| The Serbian word "ускоро" can also mean "quickly" or "in a short time". | |||
| Slovak | čoskoro | ||
| The word “čoskoro” can also be used to refer to a time that happened not long ago | |||
| Slovenian | kmalu | ||
| "Kmalu" is also used as a surname in Slovenia, and may originate from the word "kamela" (camel). | |||
| Ukrainian | найближчим часом | ||
| The Ukrainian word "найближчим часом" literally means "at the nearest hour". | |||
Soon in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শীঘ্রই | ||
| The word "শীঘ্রই" derives from the Sanskrit word "शीघ्र" (śīghra) meaning "swift" or "rapid" | |||
| Gujarati | જલ્દી | ||
| Despite sharing a common root, the Gujarati word "જલ્દી" has a distinct meaning from the Hindi word "जल्दी," referring to "haste" rather than "soon." | |||
| Hindi | जल्द ही | ||
| The word "जल्द ही" is derived from the Persian word "zulde", meaning "quickly" or "in a short time". It can also mean "early" or "before long". | |||
| Kannada | ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ | ||
| There is no known origin for the word "ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ", the word appears to be derived from the Sanskrit word "शीघ्र" (śīghra) meaning "swift" or "quick". | |||
| Malayalam | ഉടൻ | ||
| The word "ഉടൻ" can also mean "at once" or "immediately". | |||
| Marathi | लवकरच | ||
| लवकरच is also used to express the idea of "in a short time" or "presently". | |||
| Nepali | चाँडै | ||
| 'चाँडै' is the modern form of the word 'चाँडो', which is derived from the Sanskrit 'chatra' meaning 'quickly' or 'at once'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਲਦੀ | ||
| ਜਲਦੀ means 'early' in Sanskrit, and its root 'jalda' also means 'quickly' in Persian. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉක්මනින් | ||
| The Sinhala word "ඉක්මනින්" is derived from the Prakrit word "ikkhamā" meaning "immediately" or "quickly." | |||
| Tamil | விரைவில் | ||
| The Tamil word "விரைவில்" can also mean "quickly" or "with haste." | |||
| Telugu | త్వరలో | ||
| త్వరలో comes from Proto-Dravidian *cir- which means 'speed'. | |||
| Urdu | اسی طرح | ||
| The word is composed of the words "ais" and "tarkah," which mean "this way" and "leaving" respectively. | |||
Soon in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不久 | ||
| 不久 is often used in the sense of "shortly" or "in the near future", but it can also mean "some time in the past". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不久 | ||
| 不久 can also mean "not long ago" or "not long from now". | |||
| Japanese | すぐに | ||
| 「すぐに」の語源は「直ちに」という意味の「直ぐに」が変化したものとされています。 | |||
| Korean | 곧 | ||
| The word "곧" also means "directly" or "straightforwardly" and can be used in phrases like "곧장 가다" (to go straight). | |||
| Mongolian | удахгүй | ||
| The word "удахгүй" can also mean "quickly" or "in a hurry". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မကြာမီ | ||
Soon in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | segera | ||
| The Indonesian word "segera" is related to the Sanskrit words "sajjala" and "sajja" meaning "quick". | |||
| Javanese | enggal | ||
| In Javanese, "enggal" not only means "soon" but also "fast" and "immediately" | |||
| Khmer | ឆាប់ | ||
| ឆាប់ is a colloquialism derived from ចាប់ (to start, to begin) and can also mean "to be quick, to be agile, to be prompt, to be hasty, to be early." | |||
| Lao | ໃນໄວໆນີ້ | ||
| Malay | tidak lama lagi | ||
| The phrase 'tidak lama lagi' literally means 'not long from now' in Malay, emphasizing the imminent occurrence of an event. | |||
| Thai | เร็ว ๆ นี้ | ||
| เร็ว ๆ นี้ (rəəw-rəəw nee) is derived from the Proto-Tai word *raw-raw, meaning "short period of time." | |||
| Vietnamese | sớm | ||
| Sớm can also mean "early in the morning" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit na | ||
Soon in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tezliklə | ||
| Derived from Persian "tezi", meaning "quick" or "swift." | |||
| Kazakh | көп ұзамай | ||
| The word "көп ұзамай" can also be translated as "after a while" or "in the near future". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жакында | ||
| The word "жакында" ("soon" in English) is derived from the Proto-Turkic verb "*yaqın" meaning "to approach". | |||
| Tajik | ба зудӣ | ||
| The word "ба зудӣ" can also mean "with haste" or "with speed" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | basym | ||
| Uzbek | tez orada | ||
| The word "tez orada" in Uzbek is derived from the word "tez," meaning "fast," and "orada," meaning "at once" or "right away." | |||
| Uyghur | soon | ||
Soon in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koke | ||
| The word "koke" also means "early." | |||
| Maori | inamata | ||
| The Maori word "inamata" also means "swiftly" or "in a flash". | |||
| Samoan | vave | ||
| The word “vave” comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *pape, meaning “day after tomorrow” | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malapit na | ||
| The Tagalog word "malapit na" can also mean "almost there" or "about to happen". | |||
Soon in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | niyawa | ||
| Guarani | pya'e | ||
Soon in International Languages
| Esperanto | baldaŭ | ||
| Esperanto's "baldaŭ" is influenced by Romanian "în grabă" - "quickly" with the "b" and "d" reversed. | |||
| Latin | mox | ||
| Mox is related to the Old English word "maste", meaning "fruit", and may have originally referred to a ripe fruit maturing quickly. | |||
Soon in Others Languages
| Greek | σύντομα | ||
| The word "σύντομα" derives from the Greek words "σύν" (with) and "τόμος" (cut), and can also mean "briefly" or "in a nutshell". | |||
| Hmong | tsis ntev | ||
| The Hmong word tsis ntev can either refer to an adverb or a noun meaning 'short time' | |||
| Kurdish | nêzda | ||
| The word "nêzda" may share a root with the Indo-European "-zda" suffix, which means "hence" or "away". | |||
| Turkish | yakında | ||
| Yakında also means 'nearby' in Turkish, and is related to the word 'yakın' meaning 'close' or 'near'. | |||
| Xhosa | kungekudala | ||
| The word kungekudala, meaning 'soon,' also connotatively signifies a sense of anticipation and readiness to respond quickly. | |||
| Yiddish | באַלד | ||
| Yiddish "באַלד" also means "right away," "immediately," or "at once" in English. | |||
| Zulu | kungekudala | ||
| The word 'kungekudala' has alternate meanings of 'suddenly,' 'quickly,' and 'in an unexpected way.' | |||
| Assamese | সোনকালে | ||
| Aymara | niyawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | हाली | ||
| Dhivehi | އަވަހަށް | ||
| Dogri | तौले | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malapit na | ||
| Guarani | pya'e | ||
| Ilocano | apaman | ||
| Krio | nɔ go te | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زوو | ||
| Maithili | जल्दी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯊꯨꯅ | ||
| Mizo | vat | ||
| Oromo | dhiyootti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୀଘ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | kunanlla | ||
| Sanskrit | शीघ्रम् | ||
| Tatar | тиздән | ||
| Tigrinya | አብ ቀረባ | ||
| Tsonga | sweswi | ||