Then in Different Languages
Discover 'Then' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'then' is a small but powerful part of our everyday language. It's a conjunction that we use to connect ideas, actions, and events in a sequence. Its significance lies in its ability to help us understand the order of things, making it a crucial component of storytelling and communication.
But did you know that 'then' has a rich cultural history as well? In Old English, 'then' was used to indicate the 'theory' or 'thenness' of something, reflecting its importance in the realm of knowledge and understanding. Today, 'then' continues to be a vital part of our linguistic landscape, used in a variety of contexts and cultures around the world.
Given its significance and cultural importance, you might be interested in learning how to say 'then' in different languages. Not only is this a fun and interesting way to explore new cultures, but it can also come in handy when traveling, communicating with international colleagues, or simply expanding your linguistic repertoire.
Here are some translations of 'then' in different languages to get you started:
Then
Then in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dan | ||
| The Afrikaans word "dan" also means "when" or "when it comes to." | |||
| Amharic | ከዚያ | ||
| The word "ከዚያ" in Amharic can also refer to a "place" or a "time". | |||
| Hausa | to | ||
| Hausa "to" also means "there" and is derived from a Niger-Congo root that meant "staying place". | |||
| Igbo | mgbe ahụ | ||
| "Mgbe ahụ" is also used to refer to a specific point or period in time. | |||
| Malagasy | dia | ||
| The word "dia" can also mean "at that time" or "just now". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndiye | ||
| The word 'ndiye' can also mean 'now' or 'at that time'. | |||
| Shona | ipapo | ||
| "Ipapo" also refers to a type of traditional Shona beer made from finger millet. | |||
| Somali | markaa | ||
| The word "markaa" in Somali can also mean "because" or "so". | |||
| Sesotho | joale | ||
| This word "joale" shares its roots with "joaloka" (to be similar), "joalo" (in that manner), and "joang" (how) | |||
| Swahili | basi | ||
| The word "basi" in Swahili also means "old" or "stale". | |||
| Xhosa | emva koko | ||
| The etymology of "emva koko" is unclear, but it may be derived from the words "emva" (after) and "koko" (all). | |||
| Yoruba | lẹhinna | ||
| The Yoruba word "lẹhinna" can also refer to a time in the past or future, depending on the context. | |||
| Zulu | lapho-ke | ||
| The word "lapho-ke" can also mean "after that" or "subsequently" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | o de kosɔn | ||
| Ewe | ɣe ma ɣi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hanyuma | ||
| Lingala | na nsima | ||
| Luganda | awo | ||
| Sepedi | gona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | enneɛ | ||
Then in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ثم | ||
| The word “ثم” can be used as a connective, emphasizing a sequence of actions, or as an indication of a temporal or logical consequence. | |||
| Hebrew | לאחר מכן | ||
| The word "לאחר מכן" can also mean "after that" or "later on" | |||
| Pashto | بیا | ||
| The word "بیا" in Pashto is also used to indicate "come!" | |||
| Arabic | ثم | ||
| The word “ثم” can be used as a connective, emphasizing a sequence of actions, or as an indication of a temporal or logical consequence. | |||
Then in Western European Languages
| Albanian | atëherë | ||
| "Atëherë" (then) is also used to refer to a particular time in the past or future, or to a particular point in a narrative or sequence of events. | |||
| Basque | orduan | ||
| In the expression "orduan honetan" in Basque, "orduan" means "at this time/moment" instead of "then". | |||
| Catalan | llavors | ||
| The Catalan word "llavors" derives from the Latin word "illorum," meaning "of them." | |||
| Croatian | zatim | ||
| The word 'zatim' can also refer to the following words: 'in addition', 'also', and 'furthermore'. | |||
| Danish | derefter | ||
| "Derefter" can also refer to a Danish preposition translating to "to" or "towards" following words referring to a time or occasion. | |||
| Dutch | dan | ||
| The Dutch word "dan" can also mean "as", "in that case", or "when". | |||
| English | then | ||
| "Then" derives from Old English "þanne," meaning "at that time," and can also refer to a subsequent action or event. | |||
| French | puis | ||
| The word "puis" is derived from the Latin word "postea", meaning "afterwards"} | |||
| Frisian | dan | ||
| The Frisian word "dan" is cognate with English "than" and shares its sense of comparison. | |||
| Galician | entón | ||
| The Galician word "entón" is derived from the Latin "in tunc", meaning "at that time" and has the same meaning in English. | |||
| German | dann | ||
| German "dann", from Old High German "danna", can also mean "therefore". | |||
| Icelandic | þá | ||
| "Þá" is also used in Icelandic as a synonym for "so", "therefore", and "consequently". | |||
| Irish | ansin | ||
| The Irish word "ansin" can also mean "there", "over there", and "yonder." | |||
| Italian | poi | ||
| The Italian word "poi" originally meant "later" or "afterward," and is related to the Latin word "post," meaning "after" | |||
| Luxembourgish | dann | ||
| The word "dann" can also mean "than" or "since". | |||
| Maltese | imbagħad | ||
| "Imbagħad" derives from the Arabic "ba'da" ("after"), and is also used in Sicilian. | |||
| Norwegian | deretter | ||
| The Norwegian word "deretter" is a compound of "der" ("there") and "etter" ("after"), and can also be used in a spatial or chronological sense, similar to "heretter" ("after this") or "herefter" ("hereafter"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | então | ||
| The word "então" in Portuguese can also mean "in that case" or "therefore" and derives from Latin "in + tunc", meaning "in that time" or "in that moment." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | an uairsin | ||
| Although it literally means “that time”, it is more commonly used with the same meaning and function as its English counterpart “then.” | |||
| Spanish | luego | ||
| "Luego" (then) in Spanish may also refer to "speedily" or "afterwards." | |||
| Swedish | sedan | ||
| Sedan has a double meaning in Swedish; both "then" and "sedan chair". | |||
| Welsh | yna | ||
| The word "yna" in Welsh can also mean "when", "than", or "until". | |||
Then in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тады | ||
| "Тады" is an archaic form of the word "тадыма" and it means "at that time". | |||
| Bosnian | onda | ||
| The Bosnian word "onda" can also mean "wave" or "ripple". | |||
| Bulgarian | тогава | ||
| In Bulgarian, "тогава" commonly means "then" but is also used as an interjection to express surprise, shock or admiration. | |||
| Czech | pak | ||
| The word "pak" can also mean "afterwards" or "subsequently" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | siis | ||
| Finnish | sitten | ||
| Etymology: from Proto-Germanic *sinþ- ‘afterwards, again, later'; cognates with Old Norse síðan, Old English siþþan, Old Saxon siððan, Gothic sis, and Old High German sid | |||
| Hungarian | akkor | ||
| "Akkor" is of Turkic origin, as is "azkor", meaning "later", "afterwards". | |||
| Latvian | pēc tam | ||
| The Latvian word "pēc tam" is formed from "pēc" (after) and "tam" (this). "Tam" can also mean "that" in modern Latvian, which makes "pēc tam" roughly equivalent to both "afterward" and "after that" in English | |||
| Lithuanian | tada | ||
| Lithuanian "tada" originates from Prussian "tādai" (such, similar), ultimately deriving from the Proto-Baltic root *tā- (“that, such”) | |||
| Macedonian | тогаш | ||
| "Тогаш" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "togda", meaning "at that time". | |||
| Polish | następnie | ||
| The word 'następnie' is derived from the Old Polish word 'nastąpić', meaning 'to follow'. | |||
| Romanian | atunci | ||
| Atunci is the Romanian word for "then" and is derived from the Latin word "tunc", which also means "then". | |||
| Russian | тогда | ||
| "Тогда" can also mean "therefore" and "in that case" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | онда | ||
| The Serbian word "онда" does not only mean "then", but also "at that time", "in that case", or "in that way". | |||
| Slovak | potom | ||
| The word "potom" in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "potômъ", meaning "afterwards" or "later". | |||
| Slovenian | potem | ||
| Though written as 'potem', the word is historically derived from the Proto-Slavic root *potě, which shares a common origin with Russian 'potom' (потом) and Polish 'potem' meaning 'later'. | |||
| Ukrainian | тоді | ||
| The Ukrainian word “тоді” can also be used in the meanings “in that case,” “after that,” or “in such a situation”. | |||
Then in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তারপর | ||
| The word "তারপর" can also mean "afterwards" or "later on". | |||
| Gujarati | પછી | ||
| "પછી" is also used as a particle of time or sequence, implying "after" or "subsequently." | |||
| Hindi | फिर | ||
| The word "फिर" (pronounced "phir") can also mean "again" or "back" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ನಂತರ | ||
| "ನಂತರ" can also mean "afterwards" or "therefore". | |||
| Malayalam | തുടർന്ന് | ||
| Marathi | मग | ||
| In old Marathi the word "मग" was used in the sense of "only" or "if". | |||
| Nepali | त्यसो भए | ||
| The Nepali word "त्यसो भए" is also used in its literal sense to mean "in that case, situation, context, manner etc." | |||
| Punjabi | ਫਿਰ | ||
| The word 'fir' can also mean 'furthermore' or 'again' in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | එවිට | ||
| "එවිට" can mean either "then" or "when" depending on the context. | |||
| Tamil | பிறகு | ||
| The Tamil word "பிறகு" can also mean "afterwards, later on, subsequently, next". | |||
| Telugu | అప్పుడు | ||
| The word "అప్పుడు" can also mean "at that time" or "at that moment" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | پھر | ||
| In Urdu, the word "پھر" can mean "again" or "back" in addition to "then," expanding its temporal scope and signifying repetition or return. | |||
Then in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 然后 | ||
| The word “然后” comes from the classical Chinese phrase “然 后” meaning “after that”, hence its use as “then”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 然後 | ||
| The character '然後' is also used in Chinese medicine to describe the relationship between two different acupuncture points. | |||
| Japanese | その後 | ||
| その後 can also mean "after that" or "afterwards." | |||
| Korean | 그때 | ||
| "그때" also means "at that time" or "once". | |||
| Mongolian | дараа нь | ||
| The Mongolian word "дараа нь" is also used to refer to the next day or the day after tomorrow. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထို့နောက် | ||
Then in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kemudian | ||
| The word "kemudian" also means "next" or "later" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | banjur | ||
| The word "banjur" can also refer to a "flood" or "overflow". | |||
| Khmer | បន្ទាប់មក | ||
| It is the result of an old loan of the Sanskrit word पश्चाच्च (paścācca), meaning 'afterwards'. | |||
| Lao | ຫຼັງຈາກນັ້ນ | ||
| Malay | kemudian | ||
| The Malay word "kemudian" is derived from the Sanskrit word "krmadeva," meaning "step by step" or "in due course." | |||
| Thai | แล้ว | ||
| แล้ว can mean either "then", "already", "done", or "finished" | |||
| Vietnamese | sau đó | ||
| "Sau đó" means "after that" but can also refer to "later on" or "subsequently". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatapos | ||
Then in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sonra | ||
| The word "sonra" in Azerbaijani also means "afterwards". | |||
| Kazakh | содан кейін | ||
| The word "содан кейін" can also mean "after that" or "subsequently". | |||
| Kyrgyz | анда | ||
| The word "анда" also means "now" or "at that time" depending on the context. | |||
| Tajik | пас | ||
| The word "пас" can also mean "after" or "later". | |||
| Turkmen | soň | ||
| Uzbek | keyin | ||
| In Uzbek, "keyin" is a loanword from Arabic which originally meant "being" or "existence" but has come to mean "then" over time. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاندىن | ||
Then in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | a laila | ||
| A laila can also mean 'the other', such as 'ka palapala a laila' (that other paper). | |||
| Maori | ka | ||
| In Maori, "ka" is a linking particle that indicates past or future tense, as well as consequence or purpose. | |||
| Samoan | ona | ||
| "Ona" can also refer to the Samoan numeral one. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tapos | ||
| "Tapos" is a versatile term that can also mean "finished," "completed," or "done." | |||
Then in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Guarani | upéicharõ | ||
Then in International Languages
| Esperanto | tiam | ||
| In English "tiam" translates "then", but it can also mean "at this time" or "at this moment". | |||
| Latin | tum | ||
| The Latin word "tum" not only means "then" but is also an adverb or conjunction meaning "therefore." | |||
Then in Others Languages
| Greek | τότε | ||
| The Greek word "τότε" originally meant "at that point in time" but has since come to be used as a conjunction meaning "therefore" or "in that case". | |||
| Hmong | ntawd | ||
| "Ntwa'd" can also mean "after" or "later" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | paşan | ||
| "Paşan" is also an uncommon term for "after" in certain regions. | |||
| Turkish | sonra | ||
| "Sonra" derives from "son" (end) and "-ra" (toward), indicating temporal progression. | |||
| Xhosa | emva koko | ||
| The etymology of "emva koko" is unclear, but it may be derived from the words "emva" (after) and "koko" (all). | |||
| Yiddish | דעמאָלט | ||
| The Yiddish word "דעמאָלט" ultimately derives from the Old High German word "dō māla" meaning "at that time". | |||
| Zulu | lapho-ke | ||
| The word "lapho-ke" can also mean "after that" or "subsequently" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | তেতিয়া | ||
| Aymara | ukata | ||
| Bhojpuri | तब | ||
| Dhivehi | އޭރު | ||
| Dogri | अदूं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkatapos | ||
| Guarani | upéicharõ | ||
| Ilocano | no kasta | ||
| Krio | dɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەو کات | ||
| Maithili | तखन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯗꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯕꯗꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tichuan | ||
| Oromo | yommuus | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତାପରେ | ||
| Quechua | chaynaqa | ||
| Sanskrit | तदा | ||
| Tatar | аннары | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽዑ | ||
| Tsonga | kutani | ||