Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'surely' is a small word with a big impact. It is a word that exudes confidence and assurance, and is used to emphasize the truth or certainty of something. Surely, you must have used this word in your daily conversations, perhaps without realizing its true significance.
Throughout history, 'surely' has been used in various cultural and literary contexts. In literature, it is often used to add emphasis to a statement or to express a strong conviction. Culturally, it is a word that is used to convey certainty and conviction, and is understood in the same way across many different languages and cultures.
Knowing the translation of 'surely' in different languages can be useful for a variety of reasons. For travelers, it can help you better understand the local language and culture, and for language learners, it can help you expand your vocabulary and improve your communication skills.
Here are a few sample translations of 'surely' in different languages: In Spanish, 'seguramente'; in French, 'assurément'; in German, 'gewiss'; in Italian, 'certamente'; and in Chinese, '肯定' (kěndìng).
Keep reading to discover more translations of 'surely' in a variety of languages, and to learn more about the cultural significance and historical context of this fascinating word.
}Afrikaans | sekerlik | ||
The Afrikaans word "sekerlik" ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic root "*sakraz," which also yielded the English word "secure". | |||
Amharic | በእርግጥ | ||
The word "በእርግጥ" is derived from the root word "እርግ" which means "certainly" or "definitely". | |||
Hausa | lallai | ||
The Hausa word "lallai" likely comes from an Arabic root which means "without a doubt" or "certainly". | |||
Igbo | n'ezie | ||
The Igbo word 'n'ezie' originates from the Proto-Benue-Congo root ŋ́zà, meaning 'truth', and can also mean 'indeed', 'for sure', or 'verily'. | |||
Malagasy | tokoa | ||
The word "tokoa" in Malagasy has a similar meaning to the French word "vraiment" (really) and can be used to emphasize the truthfulness or certainty of a statement. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndithudi | ||
"Nditudi" is also a name that is given to a person who is born during the time when the millet is ready for harvesting. | |||
Shona | zvirokwazvo | ||
In an alternate interpretation, 'zvirokwazvo' can mean 'not by mistake' or 'without fail'. | |||
Somali | hubaal | ||
The Somali word "hubaal" can also mean "definitely, certainly, or without a doubt". | |||
Sesotho | ka sebele | ||
The word “ka sebele” is derived from the root –seb–, which is also present in the word "ho sebeletsa," meaning "to serve." | |||
Swahili | hakika | ||
"Hakika" in Swahili can mean "indeed", "truly", "of course", or "in fact." | |||
Xhosa | ngokuqinisekileyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ngokuqinisekileyo" is derived from the phrase "ukuqina isiko", which means "to strengthen a tradition", suggesting the idea of something being firmly established and certain. | |||
Yoruba | nit .tọ | ||
The word "nit.tọ" can also mean "in fact" or "of course." | |||
Zulu | impela | ||
The word "impela" also means "really" or "indeed" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | tiɲɛ na | ||
Ewe | kakaɖedzitɔe | ||
Kinyarwanda | rwose | ||
Lingala | na ntembe te | ||
Luganda | mazima ddala | ||
Sepedi | ruri | ||
Twi (Akan) | ampa ara se | ||
Arabic | بالتاكيد | ||
The word "بالتاكيد" ('surely') is derived from the word "تاكيد" ('confirmation') and is also used in the sense of "for certain" or "without a doubt". | |||
Hebrew | בוודאות | ||
'בוודאות' derives from the word 'וודאי' which has a variety of meanings such as 'certain', 'real', or 'actual', from the root 'יידוע' meaning 'to inform' or 'to let know'. | |||
Pashto | خامخا | ||
خامخا is an archaic form of خامخاه, which means "without purpose or reason" in Persian. | |||
Arabic | بالتاكيد | ||
The word "بالتاكيد" ('surely') is derived from the word "تاكيد" ('confirmation') and is also used in the sense of "for certain" or "without a doubt". |
Albanian | me siguri | ||
The Albanian word "me siguri" can also mean "confidently" or "certainly". | |||
Basque | ziur asko | ||
The phrase "ziur asko" can also mean "very much" or "very surely". | |||
Catalan | segurament | ||
The word "segurament" comes from the Latin "securus", meaning "free from care" or "confident". | |||
Croatian | sigurno | ||
Croatian „sigurno” is both related and opposite to English „secure”, as it initially meant “untied”; hence, “uncertain” and later “sure”. | |||
Danish | helt sikkert | ||
The Danish word "helt sikkert" comes from the Middle Low German "sêkerlîk", meaning "safety, assurance, security, pledge," or from Middle French "seürté." | |||
Dutch | zeker | ||
In Dutch, "zeker" can carry the nuance of "undoubtedly" and sometimes implies a strong sense of conviction. | |||
English | surely | ||
The word "surely" originates from the Old English word "sīcorlīce," meaning "confidently" or "without doubt." | |||
French | sûrement | ||
The French word "sûrement" derives from the Latin "securus" (secure) and can also mean "safely" or "securely". | |||
Frisian | wiswier | ||
In addition to meaning "surely", "wiswier" can also mean "definitely", "certainly", "of course", or "indeed". | |||
Galician | seguramente | ||
"Seguramente" means "certainly" and is derived from the Latin "securus", meaning "carefree". | |||
German | sicherlich | ||
"Sicherlich" also means "safe," and its root in Middle High German, "sicher," meant "carefree" and "unconcerned." | |||
Icelandic | vissulega | ||
Vissulega derives from viss ('sure') and lega ('lie') and originally meant 'beyond doubt'. | |||
Irish | cinnte | ||
The Irish word "cinnte" (surely) is derived from the Old Irish word "cinte" (trust), which is cognate with the Latin word "certus" (certain). | |||
Italian | certamente | ||
The Italian word "certamente" derives from the Latin word "certus" meaning 'certain, sure, steadfast'. | |||
Luxembourgish | sécherlech | ||
"Sécherlech" originates from " sécher", meaning "to dry", and implies that something is as dry as a bone, leaving no room for doubt. | |||
Maltese | żgur | ||
Although "żgur" is used to express certainty, its etymology suggests a sense of contingency or doubt, possibly originating from the Arabic word "shugūr" (worry, fear). | |||
Norwegian | sikkert | ||
Sikker is a Scandinavian word that can mean “sure” or “safe” and is related to the word “seek”. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | certamente | ||
In Portuguese, "certamente" can also mean "indeed" or "of course" depending on context. | |||
Scots Gaelic | gu cinnteach | ||
The alternative meanings of the word include “quite”, “certain” and “assuredly”, and comes from the Old Irish phrase ‘go cinnteach’. | |||
Spanish | seguramente | ||
"Seguramente" can also mean "according to" or "apparently" in Spanish. | |||
Swedish | säkert | ||
The word "säkert" in Swedish can also mean "secure" or "safe". | |||
Welsh | siawns | ||
The word "siawns" in Welsh is also used to mean "of course" or "definitely". It is derived from the word "siaw", meaning "certain" or "assured". |
Belarusian | дакладна | ||
"Дакладна" in Belarusian can also mean "exactly", "precisely", or "definitely". | |||
Bosnian | sigurno | ||
The word "sigurno" can also mean "reliably" and derives from the verb "sigurati" (to secure). | |||
Bulgarian | със сигурност | ||
Със сигурност is a homonym; its other meaning is „with security/assurance“. | |||
Czech | jistě | ||
"Jistě" is a cognate of the English "certain", coming from Late Latin *certo with a common Proto-Slavic root. | |||
Estonian | kindlasti | ||
Kindlasti is a cognate of the Finnish word 'keneltä', 'from whom' or 'whose', and is closely related to the word 'kindad', 'gloves'. | |||
Finnish | varmasti | ||
The word "varmasti" originally meant "firmly" or "strongly". | |||
Hungarian | biztosan | ||
The word "biztosan" (surely) is derived from the Turkish word "bezdirmek" (to bother), which originally meant "to make sure" or "to secure"} | |||
Latvian | protams | ||
In Lithuanian "protams" also means "of course" and "obviously". | |||
Lithuanian | tikrai | ||
The Lithuanian word "tikrai" is also sometimes used to denote "definitely" or "absolutely" | |||
Macedonian | сигурно | ||
The word "сигурно" in Macedonian comes from Old Church Slavonic "съгурностъ" meaning “safety, security”. | |||
Polish | pewno | ||
The word "pewno" in Polish is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pěvьnъ, meaning "firm" or "stable", and is related to the word "pierwszy" (first). | |||
Romanian | cu siguranţă | ||
The Romanian word "cu siguranţă" originally meant "with certainty" and was used in the context of oaths and promises. | |||
Russian | конечно | ||
The word "Конечно" can also mean "of course" or "certainly" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | сигурно | ||
"сигурно" can mean "certainly" or "secure". It is related to the word "сигурност" (security). | |||
Slovak | určite | ||
The Slovak word "určite" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*vьrnъ", meaning "faithful", and is related to the Czech word "věrný". | |||
Slovenian | zagotovo | ||
Zagotovo may have originated from the Slavic word "za gotovo" meaning "for cash." | |||
Ukrainian | звичайно | ||
Походить від «звичне» (звичай) і має додаткове значення «зазвичай». |
Bengali | অবশ্যই | ||
"অবশ্যই" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अवश्य" (avasya), which also means "necessarily," implying an obligation or compulsion. | |||
Gujarati | ચોક્કસ | ||
The word "ચોક્કસ" also means "precise" or "accurate" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | निश्चित रूप से | ||
The word "निश्चित रूप से" can also mean "certainly", "undoubtedly", or "positively" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಖಂಡಿತವಾಗಿ | ||
"ಖಂಡಿತವಾಗಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "khanda" meaning "part" or "fragment". It suggests that something is certain or definite without any doubt. | |||
Malayalam | തീർച്ചയായും | ||
The Malayalam word "തീർച്ചയായും" is derived from the root word "തീർച്ച" meaning "decision" or "certainty" and the suffix "യായും" which denotes emphasis, thus conveying a sense of strong conviction or assurance. | |||
Marathi | नक्कीच | ||
The word "नक्कीच" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निश्चित" (niścita), meaning "certain" or "fixed." | |||
Nepali | अवश्य | ||
The word "अवश्य" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "avasya", which also means "certainly" or "without a doubt". | |||
Punjabi | ਜ਼ਰੂਰ | ||
The word "ਜ਼ਰੂਰ" ("surely") in Punjabi also means "necessarily" or "for sure". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිසැකවම | ||
නිසැකවම is also used as a substitute word for perhaps/possible in ancient texts in Sinhala (Sinhalese). | |||
Tamil | நிச்சயமாக | ||
The Tamil word "நிச்சயமாக" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निश्चय" meaning "certainty" or "determination." | |||
Telugu | ఖచ్చితంగా | ||
Urdu | ضرور | ||
The word ضرور is derived from the Arabic word ضرر, which means "harm", but in Urdu it has come to mean "surely". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 一定 | ||
一定 is also used to indicate an unstated condition. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 一定 | ||
一定 (yīdìng) is a common Chinese phrase that originally meant "to be unchanging" or "fixed" in relation to fate or destiny. | |||
Japanese | きっと | ||
Though most commonly translated as 'surely,' 'kitto' can also mean 'most likely' or 'I'm almost certain'. | |||
Korean | 확실히 | ||
확실히 (huksilhi) "확실함", "틀림없이", "분명히" "정말" "실상" "참으로" "진정으로" | |||
Mongolian | гарцаагүй | ||
The word "гарцаагүй" also means "without doubt" or "without question" in Mongolian. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | surelyကန်အမှန် | ||
It is derived from the English word "surely". |
Indonesian | pasti | ||
Pasti is derived from the Javanese word 'pasthi' meaning 'to make sure' and has the alternate meaning of 'definitely' or 'without a doubt'. | |||
Javanese | temenan | ||
"Temenan" can also mean "friend" or "girlfriend" in colloquial Javanese. | |||
Khmer | ច្បាស់ណាស់ | ||
Lao | ແນ່ນອນ | ||
Malay | semestinya | ||
The word "semestinya" is derived from the Arabic word "samt", which means "firm" or "steady". | |||
Thai | แน่นอน | ||
"แน่นอน" also means "truly" or "certainly" and derives from the Sanskrit word "niścaya". | |||
Vietnamese | chắc chắn | ||
The word 'chắc chắn' originally meant 'firm' or 'solid' and was later extended to mean 'surely'. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tiyak | ||
Azerbaijani | şübhəsiz | ||
The word "şübhəsiz" can also refer to "unquestionably" or "obviously". | |||
Kazakh | әрине | ||
The word “әрине” also refers to the concept of “obviously” or “of course”. | |||
Kyrgyz | сөзсүз | ||
The word “сөзсүз” can also be used to refer to a “conversation” in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | албатта | ||
The word "албатта" in Tajik, meaning "surely," is derived from the Persian word "البتّه," which has the same meaning. | |||
Turkmen | elbetde | ||
Uzbek | albatta | ||
"Albatta" in Uzbek can be traced back to the Persian "al-batta", which means "without any doubt". | |||
Uyghur | ئەلۋەتتە | ||
Hawaiian | ʻoiaʻiʻo | ||
The word ʻoiaʻiʻo can also mean "truly," "indeed," or "in fact." | |||
Maori | pono | ||
The word "pono" in Maori has alternate meanings that include "truth" and "righteousness". | |||
Samoan | e mautinoa | ||
"E mautinoa" is also used to mean "in the morning" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | siguradong | ||
"Sigurado" is derived from "siguro" which means "possibly" or "likely" while "on(g)" is a suffix implying certainty or intensity. |
Aymara | chiqpachansa | ||
Guarani | katuete | ||
Esperanto | certe | ||
Certe is borrowed from Latin and also means "certainly, of course". | |||
Latin | surely | ||
In Latin, "surely" can also mean "faithfully" or "trustingly." |
Greek | ασφαλώς | ||
{"text": "The Greek word "ασφαλώς", meaning "surely, safely, securely, certainly, undoubtedly, unquestionably, assuredly, firmly" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁es-.""} | |||
Hmong | muaj tseeb | ||
The Hmong word "muaj tseeb" is also used to express the idea of "without fail" or "undoubtedly" | |||
Kurdish | bê guman | ||
The word "bê guman" can also mean "without doubt" or "undoubtedly". | |||
Turkish | kesinlikle | ||
The word "kesinlikle" can also mean "definitely" or "certainly" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | ngokuqinisekileyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ngokuqinisekileyo" is derived from the phrase "ukuqina isiko", which means "to strengthen a tradition", suggesting the idea of something being firmly established and certain. | |||
Yiddish | שורלי | ||
The Yiddish word "שורלי" (shurli) likely originated from the Slavic word "sure", meaning "serious" or "true". | |||
Zulu | impela | ||
The word "impela" also means "really" or "indeed" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | নিশ্চয় | ||
Aymara | chiqpachansa | ||
Bhojpuri | जरूर बा | ||
Dhivehi | ހަމަކަށަވަރުން | ||
Dogri | ज़रूर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tiyak | ||
Guarani | katuete | ||
Ilocano | sigurado | ||
Krio | fɔ tru | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بە دڵنیاییەوە | ||
Maithili | अवश्य | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯅꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | a ni ngei ang | ||
Oromo | dhugaadha | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିଶ୍ଚିତ | ||
Quechua | chiqapmi | ||
Sanskrit | नूनम् | ||
Tatar | әлбәттә | ||
Tigrinya | ብርግጽ | ||
Tsonga | hakunene | ||