Unable in Different Languages
Discover 'Unable' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Unable
Afrikaans nie in staat | ||
Albanian të paaftë | ||
Amharic አልቻለም | ||
Arabic غير قادر | ||
Armenian անկարող | ||
Assamese অক্ষম | ||
Aymara jan atiri | ||
Azerbaijani bacarmır | ||
Bambara se tan | ||
Basque ezin | ||
Belarusian не ў стане | ||
Bengali অক্ষম | ||
Bhojpuri असमर्थ | ||
Bosnian ne mogu | ||
Bulgarian не може | ||
Catalan incapaç | ||
Cebuano dili makahimo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 无法 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 無法 | ||
Corsican incapaci | ||
Croatian nesposoban | ||
Czech neschopný | ||
Danish ude af stand | ||
Dhivehi ނުވުން | ||
Dogri असमर्थ | ||
Dutch niet in staat | ||
English unable | ||
Esperanto nekapabla | ||
Estonian võimatu | ||
Ewe mate ŋui o | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) hindi kaya | ||
Finnish kykenemätön | ||
French incapable | ||
Frisian net yn steat | ||
Galician incapaz | ||
Georgian არ შეუძლია | ||
German unfähig | ||
Greek ανίκανος | ||
Guarani pituva | ||
Gujarati અસમર્થ | ||
Haitian Creole paka | ||
Hausa iya | ||
Hawaiian hiki ʻole | ||
Hebrew לא מסוגל | ||
Hindi असमर्थ | ||
Hmong tsis taus | ||
Hungarian képtelen | ||
Icelandic ófær | ||
Igbo enweghị ike | ||
Ilocano awan ti kabaelan | ||
Indonesian tidak mampu | ||
Irish in ann | ||
Italian incapace | ||
Japanese できません | ||
Javanese ora bisa | ||
Kannada ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ | ||
Kazakh мүмкін емес | ||
Khmer មិនអាច | ||
Kinyarwanda ntibishoboka | ||
Konkani असक्षम | ||
Korean 할 수 없는 | ||
Krio nɔ ebul | ||
Kurdish nekarîn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) ناتوانێت | ||
Kyrgyz мүмкүн эмес | ||
Lao ບໍ່ສາມາດ | ||
Latin non | ||
Latvian nespēj | ||
Lingala kokoka te | ||
Lithuanian negali | ||
Luganda obutasobola | ||
Luxembourgish net fäeg | ||
Macedonian не може | ||
Maithili असमर्थ | ||
Malagasy tsy afaka | ||
Malay tidak dapat | ||
Malayalam കഴിയുന്നില്ല | ||
Maltese ma jistax | ||
Maori kaore e taea | ||
Marathi अक्षम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯉꯝꯗꯕ | ||
Mizo thei lo | ||
Mongolian чадахгүй | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မတတ်နိုင် | ||
Nepali असमर्थ | ||
Norwegian ute av stand | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) osakhoza | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅସମର୍ଥ | ||
Oromo dadhabuu | ||
Pashto ناتوانه | ||
Persian ناتوان | ||
Polish niezdolny | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) incapaz | ||
Punjabi ਅਸਮਰਥ | ||
Quechua mana atiq | ||
Romanian incapabil | ||
Russian неспособный | ||
Samoan lē mafai | ||
Sanskrit अक्षम | ||
Scots Gaelic comasach | ||
Sepedi palelwa | ||
Serbian неспособан | ||
Sesotho sitoa | ||
Shona asingakwanise | ||
Sindhi ناڪام آهي | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නොහැකි | ||
Slovak neschopný | ||
Slovenian ne more | ||
Somali awoodin | ||
Spanish incapaz | ||
Sundanese teu bisa | ||
Swahili haiwezi | ||
Swedish oförmögen | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) hindi magawa | ||
Tajik наметавонам | ||
Tamil முடியவில்லை | ||
Tatar булдыра алмый | ||
Telugu సాధ్యం కాలేదు | ||
Thai ไม่สามารถ | ||
Tigrinya ኣይከኣልን እዩ | ||
Tsonga hluleka | ||
Turkish yapamaz | ||
Turkmen edip bilmedi | ||
Twi (Akan) antumi | ||
Ukrainian не в змозі | ||
Urdu ناکارہ | ||
Uyghur ئامالسىز | ||
Uzbek qodir emas | ||
Vietnamese không thể | ||
Welsh methu | ||
Xhosa ayikwazi | ||
Yiddish ניט געקענט | ||
Yoruba lagbara | ||
Zulu ayikwazi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The phrase "nie in staat" literally means "not in a position", reflecting its original Dutch etymology. |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "achalem" (unable) is derived from the verb "achala" (to forbid). |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "غير قادر" (unable) is derived from the verb "قدر" (to be able), and can also mean "impotent" or "powerless". |
| Armenian | The Armenian word 'անկարող' ('unable') is ultimately derived from the Old Armenian word 'ankarogh' ('weak', 'feeble'). |
| Azerbaijani | The etymology of "bacarmır" is unclear, but it is sometimes used as an emphatic form of "bilmir" ("notknow"). |
| Basque | It shares a root with "ez" (no) and "gaitz" (evil), and also means "lacking strength" or "weakness". |
| Belarusian | The word "не ў стане" can also mean "incompetent" or "incapable" in Belarusian. |
| Bengali | Its synonyms include 'helpless', 'crippled', 'disabled', 'handicapped', and 'powerless'. |
| Bosnian | In Eastern Bosnian, 'ne mogu' does not only mean 'unable', but is also a euphemism for 'I don't want to'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "не може" can also mean "can't" or "impossible". |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "incapaç" also means "legally incompetent." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "无法" also means Buddhist sutras or Buddhist teachings and methods. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The second character 法 originally meant “rules” as in “laws”, or “methods”, and it was later extended to also mean “laws of nature.” |
| Corsican | The word "incapaci" is thought to be derived from the Latin word "incapax," meaning "not spacious". |
| Croatian | Nesposoban also means 'crazy' or 'mad' in Croatian. |
| Czech | The word "neschopný" originally meant "incapable", or "not having the ability", before taking on its current meaning of "unable" in the 17th century. |
| Danish | "Ude af stand" literally translates to "out of stand" or "out of order", which further implies an inability. |
| Dutch | Niet in staat translates to not able to, but can also mean not capable of |
| Esperanto | The word "nekapabla" comes from the root "kapabl-" (able) and the prefix "ne-" (not), meaning "unable". |
| Estonian | The Proto-Finnic root *woi̯ma meant both "strength" and "ability", and the Estonian word "võimatu" is a derivate of that. |
| Finnish | “Kykenemätön” is a loan from German “inkompetent” (“lacking capacity”). |
| French | The French word "incapable" originally meant "unskillful" or "inept". |
| Frisian | The word "net yn steat" derives from the Old Frisian phrase "nyet yn state", meaning "not in state", and its current meaning of "unable" only developed in the 20th century. |
| Galician | The word "incapaz" can also mean "inexperienced" or "not suitable for a particular task or role" in Galician. |
| German | The word "unfähig" also means "incompetent" and is derived from the Old High German "unfahan". |
| Greek | The word "ανίκανος" comes from the Ancient Greek word "α-," meaning "not," and "νικάω," meaning "to conquer or prevail." |
| Haitian Creole | "Paka" is a Haitian Creole word with multiple meanings, including "incompetent" and "inefficient." |
| Hausa | The Hausa word 'iya' also means 'not able to' or 'unable'. |
| Hawaiian | The word `hiki ʻole` can also mean "forbidden" or "impossible" due to traditional Hawaiian values. |
| Hebrew | "לא מסוגל" (unable) in Hebrew could mean "can't" or "not allowed to", depending on context. |
| Hindi | The word 'असमर्थ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'समर्थ' which means 'able' or 'capable'. |
| Hmong | The term "tsis taus" in Hmong can also mean "cannot" or "impossible". |
| Hungarian | In 16th century Hungarian, "képtelen" was already used to mean "incapable of imagining" or "impossible to comprehend". |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "ófær" also means "impassable" or "difficult to traverse", especially with regard to roads or paths. |
| Igbo | The word "enweghị ike" in Igbo can also mean "not possible" or "impossible". |
| Indonesian | "Tidak" comes from a Sanskrit term, while "mampu" means 'able' |
| Irish | Irish "in ann" is a contraction of "i n-ann dhá" ("in non-existence") which can also mean "unknown" or "unclear." |
| Italian | Incapable also means 'of equal ability' in Italian, due to its Latin roots. |
| Japanese | The word "できません" (dekimasen) comes from the verb "できる" (dekiru), which means "can," and the negative marker "せん" (sen). |
| Javanese | "Ora bisa" in Javanese can also mean "impossible", "can't do it", or "not allowed to do something." |
| Kannada | The verb "ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ" is derived from the Sanskrit root "sādhya," meaning "feasible" or "possible," and the negative particle "na," resulting in its literal meaning of "not possible" or "unable." |
| Khmer | The term "មិនអាច" can also refer to a lack of ability or possibility, as well as a physical or mental limitation. |
| Korean | 할 수 없는 (할 수 없는) is a compound word of 하다 (to do) and 수 (a way or method), and originally meant 'lacking a way or method'. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "nekarîn" is derived from the Persian word "nakardãn" which means "unable to do". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "мүмкүн эмес" can also mean "impossible", "not possible", or "out of the question." |
| Latin | The Latin word "non" can also mean "not" or "do not". |
| Latvian | The word "nespēj" is derived from the Slavic word "nesobiti", meaning "not fit" or "unsuited". |
| Lithuanian | "Negali" derives from "ne-galėti" in Old Lithuanian, meaning "not to be able," and the word "galėti" originally meant "to make". |
| Luxembourgish | "Fäeg" is related to the German "fähig" and the French "fait", all of which are derived from the Latin "facere", meaning "to make" or "to do". |
| Macedonian | The word "не може" can also mean "impossible" or "it is not possible" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | "Tsy afaka" is made of the negative particle "tsy" and a form of the verb "afaka" which means to be able, to have the power or possibility. |
| Malay | The term "tidak dapat" in Malay also means "not able to" or "unable to do". |
| Maltese | The word "ma jistax" is derived from the Arabic phrase "ma yasṭīʿ", meaning "he cannot". |
| Maori | The word "kaore e taea" in Maori can also mean "impossible" or "not possible". |
| Marathi | The term 'अक्षम', meaning 'unable' in Marathi, can also refer to 'unfit', 'disqualified' or 'not competent'. |
| Mongolian | The word "чадахгүй" comes from the Mongolian root word "чадах" meaning "can," and the suffix "-гүй" meaning "not," so it literally translates to "not able to." |
| Nepali | The word "असमर्थ" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "समर्थ" which means "able" or "capable". Adding the negative prefix "अ" to the beginning of the word reverses its meaning, making it "unable" or "incapable". |
| Norwegian | 'Ute av stand' can also mean out of order or broken. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word osakhoza (unable) in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to someone who is lazy or unwilling to do something. |
| Pashto | The word "ناتوانه" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "ناتوان" and can also mean "weak" or "powerless". |
| Persian | In Persian, "ناتوان" literally translates to "not having strength" and can also refer to someone or something that is weak or powerless. |
| Polish | The word "niezdolny" in Polish also means "incompetent" or "incapable". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "incapaz" comes from Latin "incapax, incapaçis," meaning "incapable, incompetent, unfit," with the prefix "in-" meaning "without" from Proto-Indo-European "en" and the root of "capere" meaning "to take, to hold." |
| Punjabi | The word "ਅਸਮਰਥ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "असमर्थ" and also means "incapable" or "powerless". |
| Romanian | The word "incapabil" derives from the Latin word "capabilis", which also has the meanings of "able" or "capable". |
| Russian | The root of the word "неспособный" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "съпобъ" - "opportunity, means." |
| Samoan | "Lē mafai" can also be interpreted as "it's impossible," "it can't be done," or "it is not allowed." |
| Scots Gaelic | The word 'comasach' is derived from the Gaelic words 'comh' (together) and 'as' (enough), and can also mean 'sufficient' or 'adequate'. |
| Serbian | In Serbian, "неспособан" not only means "unable", but also refers to a person who lacks specific qualifications or skills. |
| Sesotho | The root of sitoa 'unable' is -toa 'be exhausted, finished, ended', with the prefix si- indicating a passive-reflexive meaning. |
| Shona | Asinga is an auxiliary which when added before other verbs in a sentence changes them from the active to a passive meaning. |
| Sindhi | The word "ناڪام آهي" can also mean "unsuccessful" or "to fail". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "නොහැකි" is derived from the Sanskrit expression "na śakyate," meaning "not possible" or "impossible." |
| Slovak | "Neschopný" shares its root with the word "schopný" meaning "able". |
| Slovenian | In Slovenian, the word "ne more" can also mean "he/she does not have to" |
| Somali | The Somali word "awoodin" also means "disabled" or "incapable". |
| Spanish | The word "incapaz" in Spanish not only means "unable" but also "incompetent" or "unqualified". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese "teu bisa" literally means "not to be able to" but can also refer to "not able to do something out of unwillingness" or "not being allowed to". |
| Swahili | The word "haiwezi" in Swahili is derived from the negative form of the verb "weza" ("to be able") and the suffix "-i" ("it"). |
| Swedish | The word "oförmögen" is derived from the roots "o-," meaning "lack of" or "without," and "förmögen" meaning "ability" or "power." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Hindi magawa" is also used to refer to something that is difficult or impossible to do. |
| Tajik | The word «наметавонам» derives from the Persian phrase «نمیتوانم», which means «I can't». |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "முடியவில்லை" can also be used to express impossibility or a lack of potential. |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "సాధ్యం కాలేదు" (saadhyaṃ kālēdu) is derived from the Sanskrit phrase "sādhyaṃ na khalu" and can also mean "it is not possible" or "it cannot be done." |
| Thai | ไม่สามารถ is derived from two Pali words 'asamattha' and 'anupaya', which signify 'incapable' and 'without means' respectively. |
| Turkish | The word "yapamaz" is derived from the verb "yapmak" (to do) and the negative suffix "-maz". It can also be used to express impossibility or unwillingness. |
| Ukrainian | The expression "не в змозі" (unable) might also mean incapable, unable to do something, or powerless. |
| Uzbek | 'Qodir emas' is the Uzbek phrase for 'unable', which can also take on the meaning of 'incapable' or 'incompetent' in certain contexts. |
| Vietnamese | The word "không thể" is also used colloquially to mean "impossible" or "very difficult to do." |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "methu" also means "immature" or "unripe". |
| Xhosa | The word "ayikwazi" is derived from the Xhosa root "kwazi" meaning "can", and the negative prefix "ayi-" meaning "not". Hence, "ayikwazi" literally means "not can"} |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish 'nit geḳent' ('unable') originates from Middle High German, where the verb 'kunnen' (today: 'können') means both 'to know how' and 'to be able'. |
| Yoruba | The word 'lagbara' can also mean 'not having enough resources or capabilities' |
| Zulu | Despite its negative connotation, the Zulu word "ayikwazi" also has an endearing implication of inadequacy that can be used in a humorous or affectionate context. |
| English | "Unable" derives from the Old French word "unable," meaning "not able, powerless," that traces back to the Latin word "in habilis," meaning "unfit, unskillful," from "in-," meaning "not," and "habilis," meaning "fit, able," from "habere," meaning "to have, to hold." |