Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'whereas' often signifies a contrast or a distinction between two ideas or situations. It's a powerful word that can add depth and nuance to your writing, and it's no surprise that it's used frequently in legal and academic contexts. But 'whereas' is more than just a stuffy academic term - it's a word with cultural importance and historical context. For example, did you know that the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in English history, uses the word 'whereas' to introduce its provisions?
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that people around the world might want to know how to translate 'whereas' into their own languages. Whether you're a student studying abroad, a businessperson working with international clients, or a language enthusiast looking to expand your vocabulary, understanding the translation of 'whereas' in different languages can be a valuable skill.
So without further ado, let's explore some of the many translations of 'whereas' in different languages, from Spanish and French to Arabic and Mandarin.
Afrikaans | terwyl | ||
The word "terwyl" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "terwijl" and also means "during" or "while". | |||
Amharic | ግን | ||
"ግን" also means "but" or "however". | |||
Hausa | alhali kuwa | ||
The word "alhali kuwa" is derived from the Arabic word "al-hal" meaning "the condition". | |||
Igbo | ebe | ||
Ebe (whereas) also means "to be" or "to exist" in Igbo depending on the context. | |||
Malagasy | kosa | ||
The noun 'kosa' also means 'thing' or 'object', indicating something general or unspecified. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pomwe | ||
The word "pomwe" in Nyanja can also mean "even though" or "even if". | |||
Shona | nepo | ||
The word 'nepo' could also mean 'then' or 'and then,' or be used to introduce the purpose of an action. | |||
Somali | halka | ||
The word "halka" also has the meaning of "yet" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | athe | ||
Athe is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb *ti-, meaning "to say" or "to speak" | |||
Swahili | ambapo | ||
Ambapo is a Swahili term that can also mean 'where', indicating a specific location. | |||
Xhosa | kanti | ||
"Kanti" can also mean "because" or "in order to" in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | ko da | ||
"Ko da" in Yoruba can also mean "if", "when", or "at what time." | |||
Zulu | kanti | ||
Kanti shares an etymology with the isiZulu word 'ukukanti' (to turn around) | |||
Bambara | ka sɔrɔ | ||
Ewe | evᴐ la | ||
Kinyarwanda | mu gihe | ||
Lingala | na ntango wana | ||
Luganda | nga atte | ||
Sepedi | mola e le gore | ||
Twi (Akan) | berɛ a | ||
Arabic | بينما | ||
The word "بينما" can also mean "and while" or "in the meantime" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | ואילו | ||
"ואילו" derives from "ואם לו" and can also mean "and if not"} | |||
Pashto | په داسې حال کې | ||
Arabic | بينما | ||
The word "بينما" can also mean "and while" or "in the meantime" in Arabic. |
Albanian | ndërsa | ||
"Ndërsa" is derived from "ndër" (among) and "sa" (as), implying "among the things that, among the situations that." | |||
Basque | aldiz | ||
In Basque, "aldiz" primarily functions as a conjunction expressing "whereas" or "in contrast," but it also signifies "time," "occasion," or "cycle." | |||
Catalan | mentre que | ||
In Catalan, 'mentre que' can also mean 'while', similar to its use in Spanish and French. | |||
Croatian | dok | ||
The word "dok" can also refer to a dock or pier in Croatian, a similar concept to its English cognate. | |||
Danish | der henviser til | ||
The Danish conjunctive phrase "der henviser til" literally translates to "which refers to" in English. | |||
Dutch | terwijl | ||
Dutch word "terwijl" can also mean "during" or "at the same time" | |||
English | whereas | ||
The word "whereas" originated as a Middle English conjunction meaning "in view of the fact that," and is still used in this sense in legal and formal writing. | |||
French | tandis que | ||
The French word "tandis que" can also be used in the sense of "meanwhile" or "at the same time". | |||
Frisian | wylst | ||
The Old Frisian word 'wylst' meant 'period of time' or 'period of activity', and the same word is still used in Standard Frisian in this original sense. | |||
Galician | mentres que | ||
The word "mentres que" can also be used to express contrast or opposition. | |||
German | wohingegen | ||
The word 'wohingegen' is a combination of 'wohin' ('whither') and 'dagegen' ('against', 'on the other hand'), expressing contrast or opposition. | |||
Icelandic | en | ||
The Icelandic word "en" can also mean "though" or "although". | |||
Irish | de bhrí | ||
De bhrí is also used in Irish to mean "on account of" or "by reason of". | |||
Italian | mentre | ||
The Italian word "mentre" also means "while" and shares etymological roots with the English word "meantime". | |||
Luxembourgish | wärend | ||
Maltese | billi | ||
The Maltese word "billi" derives from the Arabic "bi" (meaning "by" or "in") and is still used in this sense in the Maltese dialect of Gozo. | |||
Norwegian | mens | ||
The word "mens" is cognate with the English "mean," indicating a purpose or intention. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | enquanto que | ||
"Enquanto que" means meanwhile, while or when in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | ach | ||
The word "ach" also means "but" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
Spanish | mientras | ||
It is derived from the Latin phrase "mientre ad" which means "in the meantime". | |||
Swedish | medan | ||
The word 'medan' can also mean 'during', 'while', or 'in the midst of'. | |||
Welsh | tra | ||
The word "tra" in Welsh can also mean "because" or "since". |
Belarusian | тады як | ||
The etymology of the Belarusian word "тады як" is not entirely clear, but it is thought to be derived from the Old Belarusian words "тады" (then) and "як" (as). The word can also be used to mean "although" or "while". | |||
Bosnian | dok | ||
In Bosnian, “dok” derives from an Old Slavic term which means “time”. | |||
Bulgarian | като има предвид, че | ||
The Bulgarian word "като има предвид, че" also means "taking into account that." | |||
Czech | zatímco | ||
In addition to its use as a conjunction, "zatímco" can also mean "meanwhile" or "in the meantime". | |||
Estonian | arvestades | ||
The Estonian word "arvestades" comes from the verb "arvestama", meaning "to take into account" or "to consider". | |||
Finnish | ottaa huomioon, että | ||
The Finnish phrase "ottaa huomioon, että" has a related English phrase "taking into account". | |||
Hungarian | mivel | ||
The word "mivel" comes from the Old Hungarian word "mivel" which meant "because". | |||
Latvian | tā kā | ||
The Latvian word "tā kā" can also mean "because" or "as" in English. | |||
Lithuanian | kadangi | ||
Lithuanian "kadangi" also bears the meaning "since it seems"} | |||
Macedonian | со оглед на тоа што | ||
The word "со оглед на тоа што" in Macedonian can also mean "in view of the fact that" or "considering that". | |||
Polish | natomiast | ||
The 'nato' element in 'natomeast' comes from Old Slavic and means 'on the other side', while 'miast' means 'instead'. | |||
Romanian | întrucât | ||
The Romanian word "întrucât" has origins in Proto-Indo-European languages, with roots in Proto-Italic "*en tre", meaning "among three." | |||
Russian | в то время как | ||
В то время как - compound word, consisting of the preposition "в" and the conjunction "то время как" which means "at that time as" and is used in the meaning of "while". | |||
Serbian | док | ||
The word "док" (''dok'') in Serbian can also be used as an exclamation denoting surprise or disappointment. | |||
Slovak | keďže | ||
In addition to its common meaning of "whereas," "keďže" can also mean "since," "because," or "in light of the fact that." | |||
Slovenian | ker | ||
The Slovenian word "ker" also means "if" and is cognate with the English "though". | |||
Ukrainian | тоді як | ||
"Тоді як" can also be translated as "while" or "however." |
Bengali | যদিও | ||
যদিও is derived from the Sanskrit word 'yadi va', meaning 'if or'. | |||
Gujarati | જ્યારે | ||
The word ''જ્યારે'' has multiple meanings, including a conditional conjunction meaning ''if'' and a noun meaning ''opportunity''. | |||
Hindi | जहाँ तक | ||
The origin of "जहाँ तक" (whereas) is from "जहाँ" (place) and "तक" (up to), indicating a boundary or limit. | |||
Kannada | ಆದರೆ | ||
"ಆದರೆ" can also mean "because" or "but" in Kannada, depending on its context. | |||
Malayalam | അതേസമയം | ||
The word 'അതേസമയം' also means 'at the same time' in Malayalam. | |||
Marathi | तर | ||
"तर" comes from the Sanskrit word "ततः" meaning "from that" or "therefore" | |||
Nepali | जबकि | ||
The Nepali word "जबकि" has its origins in Sanskrit, with "जब" meaning "when" and "कि" meaning "but," indicating a contrast between two situations. | |||
Punjabi | ਜਦ ਕਿ | ||
The word "ਜਦ ਕਿ" can also mean "although" or "but" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ෙකෙසේෙවතත් | ||
The word "ෙකෙසේෙවතත්" can also be used to mean "however", "nonetheless", or "nevertheless". | |||
Tamil | அதேசமயம் | ||
The word "அதேசமயம்" also means "at the same time" and "meanwhile". | |||
Telugu | అయితే | ||
The word "అయితే" can also mean "however" or "but" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | جبکہ | ||
In addition to its primary meaning of "whereas," "جبکہ" can also mean "however" or "but." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 而 | ||
而 originally represented the idea of “a person holding up a spear” and served as the phonetic element of words related to “spear.” | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 而 | ||
而 (ér) can also mean 'and' or 'but' in some contexts | |||
Japanese | 一方、 | ||
一方、 is also used to mean "on one hand," and is often contrasted with the phrase "另一方面、" which means "on the other hand." | |||
Korean | 이므로 | ||
The word "이므로" derives from the verb "이르다" (to reach, arrive), and can also mean "therefore" or "henceforth". | |||
Mongolian | харин | ||
The word "харин" also means "however" or "nevertheless" in Mongolian. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သော်လည်း | ||
Indonesian | sedangkan | ||
The word "sedangkan" is derived from the Old Javanese word "sakingkang," meaning "from what." | |||
Javanese | dene | ||
The word "dene" can also mean "instead" or "although". | |||
Khmer | ចំណែកឯ | ||
The word "ចំណែកឯ" can also be used to mean "however", "nevertheless", or "on the other hand". | |||
Lao | ໃນຂະນະທີ່ | ||
Malay | sedangkan | ||
The word 'sedangkan' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'saddharman', meaning 'true dharma' or 'right doctrine'. | |||
Thai | ในขณะที่ | ||
The Thai word "ในขณะที่" can also mean "while" or "when". | |||
Vietnamese | trong khi | ||
"Trong khi" can also mean "during the time that" or "while" in the sense of "at the same time". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | samantalang | ||
Azerbaijani | halbuki | ||
In Ottoman Turkish "halbuki" (whereas) meant "indeed". After the Latin Script Revolution of 1928, it started to be used in the sense of "whereas". | |||
Kazakh | ал | ||
The word "ал" can also mean "while" and is an archaic form of "ел". | |||
Kyrgyz | ал эми | ||
Tajik | дар ҳоле ки | ||
The phrase 'дар ҳоле ки', in Tajik, is derived from the Persian phrase 'در حالی که', and shares similar meanings of 'in the meanwhile', 'while', or 'whereas'. | |||
Turkmen | bolsa | ||
Uzbek | holbuki | ||
The word "Holbuki" in Uzbek can also mean "while" or "on the contrary". | |||
Uyghur | ھالبۇكى | ||
Hawaiian | ʻoiai | ||
The term ʻoiai derives from an earlier form ʻoi, possibly originally denoting a conditional particle or the concept of "if". | |||
Maori | ahakoa | ||
In Maori, "ahakoa" (whereas) signifies "notwithstanding" or "even though" and can be used to express exception or contrast. | |||
Samoan | ae | ||
Derived from the Proto-Samoan *a, which also means 'then' and 'therefore'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | samantalang | ||
The word "samantalang" also means "concurrently" or "at the same time". |
Aymara | ukhakama | ||
Guarani | upe jave | ||
Esperanto | dum | ||
In Latin, "dum" also means "until," "so long as," or "while" | |||
Latin | cum | ||
In Medieval Latin, "cum" evolved into a conjunction meaning "and" or "with". |
Greek | ενώ | ||
"Ενώ" can also mean "although" or "while". | |||
Hmong | whereas | ||
The Hmong word "whereas" can also mean "whereas" in English. | |||
Kurdish | lêbelê | ||
The word "lêbelê" in Kurdish also refers to a place where two rivers or streams meet. | |||
Turkish | buna karşılık | ||
"Buna karşılık" (whereas) literally translates to "in return for this" or "in exchange for this" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | kanti | ||
"Kanti" can also mean "because" or "in order to" in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | כוועראַז | ||
The word "כוועראַז" in Yiddish is thought to be a borrowing of German "während" or French "durant" and thus has the additional meanings "during" or "while". | |||
Zulu | kanti | ||
Kanti shares an etymology with the isiZulu word 'ukukanti' (to turn around) | |||
Assamese | য’ত নেকি | ||
Aymara | ukhakama | ||
Bhojpuri | जबकि | ||
Dhivehi | އެހެން އެކަން އޮތްއިރު | ||
Dogri | जिसलै कि | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | samantalang | ||
Guarani | upe jave | ||
Ilocano | kasupadi | ||
Krio | semweso | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کە | ||
Maithili | जखन कि | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯗꯨꯝ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯃꯛ | ||
Mizo | chupawh ni se | ||
Oromo | ammoo | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଯେତେବେଳେ କି | ||
Quechua | chaykama | ||
Sanskrit | यदर्थे | ||
Tatar | ә | ||
Tigrinya | ክኸውን ከሎ | ||
Tsonga | kasi | ||