Spend in Different Languages
Discover 'Spend' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'spend' holds a significant place in our daily lives, as it relates to the allocation of our time, resources, and money. Its cultural importance is evident in various expressions, such as 'spending quality time' or 'spending wisely.' Understanding the translation of 'spend' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and broaden our perspectives.
Historically, the concept of spending has been present since ancient civilizations, where goods and services were exchanged through barter systems. The evolution of currencies and banking has further emphasized the significance of spending in modern society.
For globetrotters, language enthusiasts, or even casual learners, knowing the translations of 'spend' can be quite useful. Imagine navigating a foreign market, haggling for souvenirs, or engaging in conversations about financial habits in a different language!
Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- Spanish: gastar
- French: dépenser
- German: ausgeben
- Mandarin: 花费 (huā fù)
- Japanese: 支出 (shihō)
Spend
Spend in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | spandeer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "spandeer" originates from the Dutch "spenderen", meaning "to give" or "to distribute." | |||
| Amharic | ማውጣት | ||
| The verb "ማውጣት" can also be used in a more literal sense to describe the act of "taking out" something. | |||
| Hausa | ciyarwa | ||
| "Ciyarwa" in Hausa, meaning "spend," also signifies "nourishment" or "sustenance." | |||
| Igbo | emefu | ||
| In Central and Western Igbo, emefu means 'use, expend or consume', while in Northern Igbo it means 'earn, acquire or receive'. | |||
| Malagasy | mandany | ||
| The word can also refer to the act of exchanging goods or money. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gwiritsa ntchito | ||
| Shona | shandisa | ||
| It is the root of the word kushandisa, which means "to use". | |||
| Somali | kharash garee | ||
| The Somali word "kharash garee" comes from the Arabic word "kharaja", which means "to go out." | |||
| Sesotho | qeta | ||
| The word "qeta" means "spend" in Sesotho, it originates from the Proto-Bantu word "*keta" which also means "send" | |||
| Swahili | tumia | ||
| The word "tumia" can also mean "to use" or "to employ" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | chitha | ||
| The Xhosa word "chitha" can also mean "to squander"} | |||
| Yoruba | na | ||
| "Na" can also mean "receive" or "get" in Yoruba, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between spending and receiving. | |||
| Zulu | chitha | ||
| The word 'chitha' in Zulu also means 'to disperse, to remove, or to cause to disappear'. | |||
| Bambara | ka wari bɔ | ||
| Ewe | zã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukoresha | ||
| Lingala | alekisaki | ||
| Luganda | okusaasaanya | ||
| Sepedi | ntšha tšhelete | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yi | ||
Spend in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أنفق | ||
| The Arabic word "أنفق" also has the meanings of "to use" or "to expend energy or resources" | |||
| Hebrew | לְבַלוֹת | ||
| The word לבלוֹת can also mean "spend time" or "waste time". | |||
| Pashto | مصرفول | ||
| The word "مصرفول" can also mean "expenditure" or "consumption" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | أنفق | ||
| The Arabic word "أنفق" also has the meanings of "to use" or "to expend energy or resources" | |||
Spend in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shpenzoj | ||
| The word "shpenzoj" in Albanian is derived from the Latin "expensare", meaning "to weigh out" or "to pay out." | |||
| Basque | gastatu | ||
| In the dialect of Lapurdi, it is also used to refer to | |||
| Catalan | gastar | ||
| The verb “gastar” in Catalan is derived from the Latin “vastare”, meaning “to lay waste”. It also means “to eat” in some contexts. | |||
| Croatian | potrošiti | ||
| The verb "potrošiti" is derived from the Slavic root "*potьrъ" meaning "destruction, loss, waste". | |||
| Danish | bruge | ||
| The Danish word "bruge" also translates to "use", "apply", "utilize", or "employ" in English. | |||
| Dutch | besteden | ||
| Besteden ('to spend') stems from Middle Dutch 'bestæden' and meant 'to order', 'to distribute' or 'to employ'. | |||
| English | spend | ||
| The word "spend" ultimately derives from the Latin "pendere," meaning "to weigh," reflecting its original sense of "to dispense or distribute." | |||
| French | dépenser | ||
| The word "dépenser" derives from the Latin "dispendere," meaning both "spend" and "pay out." | |||
| Frisian | útjaan | ||
| "Utjaan" also means "to excrete, to move (to a different location)" and is thought to be derived from the verb "to go out". | |||
| Galician | gastar | ||
| The verb "gastar" in Galician derives from the Latin "vastare" "to lay waste" and also means "to destroy." | |||
| German | verbringen | ||
| Verbringen can also mean 'to pass' a period of time, e.g. 'verbringe Zeit mit der Familie' ('spend time with the family') | |||
| Icelandic | eyða | ||
| In Old Norse, "eyða" meant "to lay waste" or "to destroy". | |||
| Irish | chaitheamh | ||
| The word "chaitheamh" can also refer to the act of passing time, such as spending time with someone or spending time doing something. | |||
| Italian | trascorrere | ||
| "Trascorrere" derives from the Latin verb "transcurrere", meaning "to run across", "to cross" or "to flow past". | |||
| Luxembourgish | verbréngen | ||
| The word "verbréngen" can also mean "to pass the time" or "to while away the time". | |||
| Maltese | tonfoq | ||
| The word "tonfoq" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "anfaqa" meaning "to spend money". | |||
| Norwegian | bruke | ||
| The word "bruke" has roots in Old Norse, where it referred to "using" or "enjoying" something, while in Danish, "bruge" means "to need". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | gastar | ||
| Gastar comes from the Old French "gaster", cognate with Modern French "gâter", which means "to waste" or "to spoil something" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | caitheamh | ||
| The word 'caitheamh' also means 'consumption', 'expenditure', and 'use'. | |||
| Spanish | gastar | ||
| The Spanish verb "gastar" comes from the Old French "gaster", which means "to waste" or "to destroy". | |||
| Swedish | spendera | ||
| The word 'spend' can also refer to the act of spending money or resources, or to consume or use something up. | |||
| Welsh | gwario | ||
| The word | |||
Spend in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | марнаваць | ||
| "Марнаваць" is cognate with Polish "marnować", Russian "мариновать", and English "marine". In the past, this verb also meant "pickling" (vegetables, meat) and "marinading" (fish). | |||
| Bosnian | potrošiti | ||
| The verb 'potrošiti' originates from the verb 'trošiti', meaning 'to crumble' or 'to wear out'. | |||
| Bulgarian | харча | ||
| The Bulgarian word "харча" (spend) can also mean "waste" or "squander". | |||
| Czech | strávit | ||
| The word "strávit" in Czech can also mean to digest or endure. | |||
| Estonian | kulutama | ||
| "Kulutama" also means "to consume" in Estonian, and originally referred to using up heat or power. | |||
| Finnish | viettää | ||
| The word "viettää" is derived from the Proto-Finnic root "*wittää" meaning "to pass time" or "to be present somewhere". | |||
| Hungarian | tölt | ||
| Tölt is also a verb meaning to fill something up or to hold something in particular | |||
| Latvian | tērēt | ||
| The Latvian word "tērēt" also means "to make thin". | |||
| Lithuanian | išleisti | ||
| The word "išleisti" in Lithuanian shares a root with the word "leisti" which means "to let" or "to allow". | |||
| Macedonian | трошат | ||
| The word "трошат" shares the same root with the word "търкам" (rub) and the word "търг" (market), all related to the concept of exchange. | |||
| Polish | wydać | ||
| In Polish, "wydać" can also mean "to publish" or "to issue" something. | |||
| Romanian | petrece | ||
| The Romanian word "petrece" also means "to see someone off" or "to accompany someone to a certain distance on their way out." | |||
| Russian | проводить | ||
| The word "spend" in Russian, "проводить", has additional meanings such as "to accompany" or "to see off." | |||
| Serbian | трошити | ||
| The word "трошити" (spend) in Serbian also means "to crumble" or "to break into pieces". | |||
| Slovak | utratiť | ||
| The word "utratiť" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "iztratiti", meaning "to lose". | |||
| Slovenian | porabiti | ||
| The word 'porabiti' originated from the Proto-Slavic word 'porabiti', which meant 'to use', 'to consume', or 'to destroy'. | |||
| Ukrainian | витратити | ||
| The origin of the Ukrainian word "витратити" ("spend") is uncertain but may be related to Lithuanian "išvirtoti" or Polish "wytrzeć" (both meaning "to empty"). | |||
Spend in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যয় করা | ||
| The Bengali word "ব্যয় করা" also means to use up or consume. | |||
| Gujarati | ખર્ચ | ||
| The Gujarati word "ખર્ચ" also means "expense" or "cost". | |||
| Hindi | बिताना | ||
| The verb 'बिताना' can also mean to pass (time) or to carry (a load). | |||
| Kannada | ಖರ್ಚು | ||
| The word "ಖರ್ಚು" also means "cost" or "expense" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ചെലവഴിക്കുക | ||
| - | |||
| Marathi | खर्च | ||
| खर्च (kharapc) derives from the Sanskrit word 'kṣip', meaning 'to throw or scatter'. | |||
| Nepali | खर्च | ||
| The word "खर्च" can also refer to the process of spending or the amount spent, and is related to the word "खरच" meaning "to consume". | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਰਚ ਕਰੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වියදම් කරන්න | ||
| The word "expend" also means to expend energy or resources. | |||
| Tamil | செலவு | ||
| The Tamil word "செலவு" can also mean "issue, expense, or cost." | |||
| Telugu | ఖర్చు | ||
| The word "ఖర్చు" can also mean "expense" or "expenditure" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | خرچ کرنا | ||
| The word 'خرچ کرنا' (kharcha karna) is derived from the Persian word 'kharj' which means 'expenditure' or 'expense'. | |||
Spend in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 花 | ||
| The word "花" also means "flower" in Chinese, emphasizing the idea of something beautiful disappearing or being used up. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 花 | ||
| The word "花" can also mean "flower" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 費やす | ||
| 費やす can also mean "expend" or "use". | |||
| Korean | 보내다 | ||
| The Korean word "보내다" can also mean "to send" or "to give". | |||
| Mongolian | зарцуулах | ||
| The Mongolian word "зарцуулах" can also mean "to consume" or "to exhaust". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြုန်း | ||
Spend in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menghabiskan | ||
| The word "menghabiskan" in Indonesian can also mean "to finish" or "to complete". | |||
| Javanese | nglampahi | ||
| "Nlampahi" in Javanese also means "to pass by" or "to cross over". | |||
| Khmer | ចំណាយ | ||
| In some contexts, the word "ចំណាយ" can also refer to the money or resources expended. | |||
| Lao | ໃຊ້ຈ່າຍ | ||
| Malay | menghabiskan | ||
| The word "menghabiskan" originates from the Sanskrit root word "krs" meaning "to scatter, strew, or destroy". | |||
| Thai | ใช้จ่าย | ||
| ใช้จ่าย can also mean 'to use up' or 'to consume'. | |||
| Vietnamese | tiêu | ||
| "Tiêu" may also refer to black pepper in Vietnamese, the origin of the word being Chinese black pepper (literally "black pepper"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gumastos | ||
Spend in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xərcləmək | ||
| The word "xərcləmək" can also mean "to waste" or "to squander" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жұмсау | ||
| The Kazakh word "жұмсау" ('spend') also means expenditure or outlay in the Kazakh economy. | |||
| Kyrgyz | сарптоо | ||
| "Сарптоо" in Kyrgyz can also mean to exhaust, waste, or finish something. | |||
| Tajik | сарф кардан | ||
| The verb сарф кардан (sarf kardan) derives from the Arabic word صرف (ṣarf) meaning "spend". This Arabic term originally meant something different: the exchanging of coins, the changing of money. | |||
| Turkmen | harçlamak | ||
| Uzbek | sarf qilmoq | ||
| "Sarf qilmoq" also means to consume, to use up, or to exhaust. | |||
| Uyghur | خەجلەڭ | ||
Spend in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolilo kālā | ||
| Ho'olilo kālā can also refer to the act of investing money in a business venture or financial instrument. | |||
| Maori | whakapau | ||
| Whakapau can also refer to the act of paying or giving compensation. | |||
| Samoan | faʻaalu | ||
| "Fa'aalu" also means "to wear out slowly" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gumastos | ||
| The word "gumastos" can also refer to a person who handles finances or a cashier. | |||
Spend in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | tukhaña | ||
| Guarani | jehepyme'ẽ | ||
Spend in International Languages
| Esperanto | elspezi | ||
| "Elspezi" in Esperanto derives from "elspezigi," meaning "to give hope," suggesting a notion of "spending oneself or one's resources for hope." | |||
| Latin | expendas | ||
| The Latin word "expendas" also means "to weigh" or "to consider". | |||
Spend in Others Languages
| Greek | ξοδεύουν | ||
| "Ξοδεύω" also means 'sacrifice' in ancient Greek, suggesting an inherent connection between spending and the idea of giving something up. | |||
| Hmong | siv | ||
| The word "siv" in Hmong also means "to sprinkle" and "to distribute". | |||
| Kurdish | xerckirin | ||
| The word also means 'slaughter of animals' or 'destruction' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | harcamak | ||
| Harcamak was borrowed from Arabic word "harc" which means "war expenditure". | |||
| Xhosa | chitha | ||
| The Xhosa word "chitha" can also mean "to squander"} | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרברענגען | ||
| The verb 'פאַרברענגען' is a cognate of the German 'verbringen', and its original Yiddish meaning was 'to live life', now used only in religious texts. | |||
| Zulu | chitha | ||
| The word 'chitha' in Zulu also means 'to disperse, to remove, or to cause to disappear'. | |||
| Assamese | খৰচ | ||
| Aymara | tukhaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खर्चा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚަރަދުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | खर्चो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gumastos | ||
| Guarani | jehepyme'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | gastoen | ||
| Krio | spɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەسەربردن | ||
| Maithili | खर्च | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯣꯏꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | hmang | ||
| Oromo | itti baasuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖର୍ଚ୍ଚ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | gastay | ||
| Sanskrit | व्ययीकरोतु | ||
| Tatar | сарыф итү | ||
| Tigrinya | ክፈል | ||
| Tsonga | tirhisa | ||