Will in Different Languages
Discover 'Will' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'will' holds a significant place in the English language, denoting determination, future plans, and promises. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and everyday conversations. 'Will' is a versatile word that can express intent, desire, and even stubbornness!
For instance, when Shakespeare's Hamlet contemplates his future with 'To be, or not to be, that is the question,' he's using 'is' instead of 'will be,' which changes the meaning and tone of the sentence entirely.
Understanding the translation of 'will' in different languages can enrich your cultural experiences and enhance your communication skills. For example, in Spanish, 'will' translates to 'voy a' or 'van a,' depending on the subject. In French, it's 'vais' or 'allez' for 'I' or 'you' forms, respectively.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'will' in various languages, from German to Mandarin, and discover how this simple word can bridge cultural gaps and deepen our appreciation for linguistic diversity.
Will
Will in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sal | ||
| The word “sal” comes from the Dutch word “zal”, which also means “will”. | |||
| Amharic | ያደርጋል | ||
| "יאדרגאל" הוא צורה מיושנת של "יאדראגל" שמשמעותו בלשון העבר היא "הוא יעשה". | |||
| Hausa | za | ||
| The word "za" can also be used to indicate the presence of something or someone.} | |||
| Igbo | ga | ||
| The Igbo word "ga" can also be used to express intention, determination, or desire. | |||
| Malagasy | dia | ||
| The word "dia" in Malagasy is cognate with the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*diaq", meaning "stand, stand up, be upstanding, stay." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndidzatero | ||
| The root '-didz-' can indicate 'future time' or 'imperfective aspect', and '-tero' signifies a 'person performing an action', therefore 'ndidzatero' is literally 'one who will do (in the future)'. | |||
| Shona | kuda | ||
| In Shona, "kuda" also means "to die" or "to be killed". | |||
| Somali | doonaa | ||
| "Doonaa," meaning "will," also refers to "soul," "character," "temperament," or "nature." | |||
| Sesotho | tla | ||
| The word "tla" also means "to come" and "to arrive" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | mapenzi | ||
| The word "mapenzi" also means "love" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ngaba | ||
| "UyaNgaba" in isi-Zulu can be used when asking someone if they're sure or when being assertive | |||
| Yoruba | yoo | ||
| The word "yoo" in Yoruba has other meanings besides "will," including "to wish" and "to intend." | |||
| Zulu | kuthanda | ||
| "Kuthanda" also means "love" in Zulu, and is related to the word "thanda" (to love). | |||
| Bambara | se | ||
| Ewe | lɔlɔ̃nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubushake | ||
| Lingala | ako | ||
| Luganda | ekiraamo | ||
| Sepedi | tla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛ | ||
Will in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إرادة | ||
| The word "إرادة" also means "volition" or "intention" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | רָצוֹן | ||
| In addition to meaning "will," the Hebrew word רָצוֹן ("ratzon") also signifies "favor" or "benevolence." | |||
| Pashto | و به | ||
| The word "و به" in Pashto is cognate with the Persian word "به" which means "to". | |||
| Arabic | إرادة | ||
| The word "إرادة" also means "volition" or "intention" in Arabic. | |||
Will in Western European Languages
| Albanian | do të | ||
| The Albanian word "do të" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰē- meaning "to put, place, or set". | |||
| Basque | borondatea | ||
| In the Basque word for "will", 'borondatea,' "boron" means "good," and "datea" means "giving," implying "giving good, doing good." | |||
| Catalan | voluntat | ||
| It is thought that "voluntat" stems from "voluntas", a Latin term referring to the rational faculty by which we prefer one thing to another. | |||
| Croatian | htjeti | ||
| The original Indo-European root of 'htjeti' is also found in 'voluntas' (Latin), 'volonté' (French), and 'will' (English), reflecting the fundamental aspect of volition. | |||
| Danish | vilje | ||
| The word "vilje" can also refer to a person's desire or intention. | |||
| Dutch | zullen | ||
| The word "zullen" comes from the Old Dutch word "scolen" which also meant "to owe" or "to be obliged to". | |||
| English | will | ||
| The word 'will' can also mean a document stating one's wishes after death. | |||
| French | volonté | ||
| The French word "volonté" is derived from the Latin word "voluntas," which also means "desire" or "wish." | |||
| Frisian | wil | ||
| The word "wil" in Frisian, comes from the Proto-Germanic word "wilja", meaning "intention" or "desire". | |||
| Galician | vontade | ||
| The Galician word "vontade" also means "desire" or "longing". | |||
| German | werden | ||
| The word 'werden' in German has an alternate meaning of 'to become' or 'to happen' | |||
| Icelandic | mun | ||
| The Icelandic word "mun" also means "intend" or "have in mind". | |||
| Irish | uacht | ||
| "Uacht" also means expectation, attention, caution or heed in Irish. | |||
| Italian | volere | ||
| The Italian "volere" originates from the Latin "velle," meaning to wish or want, and also shares a root with "benevolence." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wäert | ||
| The word 'wäert' also carries the connotations 'to want, desire, or intend'. | |||
| Maltese | se | ||
| The Maltese word "se" (will) also means "if" in some contexts, as in "jekk tiġi, nerħilha" (if you come, I'll open it). | |||
| Norwegian | vil | ||
| The Norwegian word "vil" is also the archaic form of "ville", meaning "want or desire". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vai | ||
| In the phrase "vai chover", the word "vai" means "it is going to" or "it is likely to". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | thoil | ||
| The word 'thoil' can also mean 'suffer' or 'endure'. | |||
| Spanish | será | ||
| "Será" is derived from "sedere" (Latin for "to sit") and can also mean "will be" or "shall be." | |||
| Swedish | kommer | ||
| Historically 'kommer' was the future form of 'komma' (to come) and only took on its more general meaning in the 19th century. | |||
| Welsh | ewyllys | ||
| Though 'ewyllys' is now only used to mean 'will', it used to also mean 'face'. | |||
Will in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | будзе | ||
| In the Belarusian language, the word "будзе" was originally derived from the word for "be" but has since adopted additional meanings. | |||
| Bosnian | hoće | ||
| The word "hoće" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*xotěti" which also meant "to want". | |||
| Bulgarian | ще | ||
| Bulgarian "ще" "(will)" originally meant "I want" and is used in other Slavic languages to express intention or a desire. | |||
| Czech | vůle | ||
| "Vůle" can also refer to a | |||
| Estonian | tahe | ||
| The word "tahe" in Estonian can also mean "want" or "desire". | |||
| Finnish | tahtoa | ||
| The origin of the word "tahtoa" is unknown; some theories suggest it may be related to the word "tahto" ("will") but this is uncertain. | |||
| Hungarian | akarat | ||
| The word "akarat" also means "intent" or "determination" in Hungarian, highlighting the volitional aspect of "will". | |||
| Latvian | būs | ||
| In Latvian, the word 'būs' can also refer to a future state or occurrence. | |||
| Lithuanian | valios | ||
| The word "valios" is also used in Lithuanian to refer to money, possessions, or other valuable objects. | |||
| Macedonian | волја | ||
| The Macedonian word "волја" (volja) is also used to refer to a person's temperament or disposition. | |||
| Polish | wola | ||
| In Polish, the word 'wola' also means 'freedom' or 'liberty', suggesting the idea of an individual's capacity to make choices and exercise their free will. | |||
| Romanian | voi | ||
| The word "voi" in Romanian can also refer to the second-person plural pronoun "you". | |||
| Russian | будут | ||
| "Будут" in Russian can also mean "they will be". This is because Russian verbs have both present and future tense forms. | |||
| Serbian | воља | ||
| The root of the word "воља" in Serbian is "волет" which also means "to want". | |||
| Slovak | bude | ||
| The word "bude" also means "present progressive tense" or "future". | |||
| Slovenian | volja | ||
| The Slovenian word "volja" also means "election", originating from Proto-Slavic *volja, itself from *vel- ("to choose"). | |||
| Ukrainian | буде | ||
| The word "буде" also means "will" (future tense) in Ukrainian, and derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*bǫdēti" meaning "to be." | |||
Will in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ইচ্ছাশক্তি | ||
| The Sanskrit word 'iccha' means both 'desire' and 'will', reflecting the close connection between the two concepts in Bengali as well. | |||
| Gujarati | કરશે | ||
| The Gujarati word "કરશે" can also refer to a person's "deed" or "work". | |||
| Hindi | मर्जी | ||
| मर्जी (will) comes from the Sanskrit word mṛṣṭa, meaning 'rubbed, purified' | |||
| Kannada | ತಿನ್ನುವೆ | ||
| Malayalam | ഇഷ്ടം | ||
| The word 'ഇഷ്ടം' in Malayalam also means 'desire' or 'liking'. | |||
| Marathi | होईल | ||
| The Marathi word "होईल" can also mean "shall" or "should" in English. | |||
| Nepali | हुनेछ | ||
| "हुनेछ" (hunecha) is derived from the root "हुन" (huna), meaning "to be" or "to exist", and the suffix "-छ" (-cha), indicating present tense. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰੇਗਾ | ||
| The word 'ਕਰੇਗਾ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'karishya', which also means 'will'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කැමැත්ත | ||
| Tamil | விருப்பம் | ||
| The word விருப்பம் ('will') in Tamil has a secondary meaning of 'intention', 'desire', or 'wish' | |||
| Telugu | సంకల్పం | ||
| Telugu word "సంకల్పం" also refers to a formal vow taken to complete something, or the resolution of a group or individual. | |||
| Urdu | کریں گے | ||
Will in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 将 | ||
| In Mandarin Chinese, the word 將 ('jiāng), meaning 'will, | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 將 | ||
| "將" can also be used as a surname or a military rank. | |||
| Japanese | 意志 | ||
| '意志' (will) means 'volition' and is also used to describe the will of a deceased person. | |||
| Korean | 의지 | ||
| The word "의지" (will) derives from the Middle Chinese "ngiġ", meaning "desire, wish, or intention." | |||
| Mongolian | болно | ||
| The word "болно" also means "ill" or "sick" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အလိုတော် | ||
Will in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | akan | ||
| The word 'akan' in Indonesian shares its root with the Austronesian word 'kan', meaning 'to do'. This suggests a conceptual link between intention and action in the Indonesian language. | |||
| Javanese | bakal | ||
| The word "bakal" also means "about to" or "on the verge of" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | នឹង | ||
| "នឹង" can also be used to indicate the future progressive tense, or to show that an action is planned or intended. | |||
| Lao | ຈະ | ||
| In addition to its use as a modal verb, "ຈະ" can also mean "approximately" or "about" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | akan | ||
| There is another meaning of "akan" in Malay: "going to" or "about to". | |||
| Thai | จะ | ||
| The Thai word "จะ" ("will") has the same root as the Sanskrit word "jñā", meaning "to know". | |||
| Vietnamese | sẽ | ||
| The word "sẽ" in Vietnamese can also mean "future", "destiny", or "fate". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kalooban | ||
Will in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | olacaq | ||
| "Olacaq" in Azerbaijani can also refer to an event or occasion. | |||
| Kazakh | болады | ||
| The Kazakh word "болады" ("will") can also refer to a "dream" or "expectation". It has a root meaning "to become". | |||
| Kyrgyz | болот | ||
| In some contexts, болот can also refer to the desire or want to do something. | |||
| Tajik | ирода | ||
| Turkmen | eder | ||
| Uzbek | iroda | ||
| While the word "iroda" means "will" in Uzbek, it also derives from the Arabic word "irādah" meaning "choice". | |||
| Uyghur | will | ||
Will in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makemake | ||
| Makemake has additional meanings in Hawaiian such as longing, wish, desire, and intention. | |||
| Maori | hiahia | ||
| The Maori word "hiahia" can also refer to "need" or "desire", implying that a will is driven by a need or desire. | |||
| Samoan | loto | ||
| Loto is a Samoan term that can also refer to a particular style of tapa cloth from the Manono and Apolima islands. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ay | ||
| The word "ay" in Tagalog can also be used as an interjection to express surprise or agreement. | |||
Will in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | will | ||
| Guarani | upéichata | ||
Will in International Languages
| Esperanto | volo | ||
| Esperanto "volo" also means "desire" in Italian. | |||
| Latin | autem | ||
| "Autem" in Latin is used in several ways. It can mean "yet" or "but". It can also be used to mean "indeed", "moreover", or "however." | |||
Will in Others Languages
| Greek | θα | ||
| The word "θα" is also used as an indicator of the future tense in Greek grammar. | |||
| Hmong | yuav | ||
| The Hmong word "yuav" used to also mean "to marry" and "to intend to do something." | |||
| Kurdish | xwestek | ||
| Turkish | niyet | ||
| Niyet, a Persian word, means one's intention. In Turkish, its use has been narrowed down to the will to pray, which is stated before the start of the prayer. | |||
| Xhosa | ngaba | ||
| "UyaNgaba" in isi-Zulu can be used when asking someone if they're sure or when being assertive | |||
| Yiddish | וועט | ||
| The Yiddish word וועט comes from the Old High German word weta and in addition to "will", can also be used to mean "to wager" or "to bet". | |||
| Zulu | kuthanda | ||
| "Kuthanda" also means "love" in Zulu, and is related to the word "thanda" (to love). | |||
| Assamese | will | ||
| Aymara | will | ||
| Bhojpuri | होई | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަމެއް ކުރުމަށް ބޭނުންވާ ހިތްވަރު | ||
| Dogri | चाहना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kalooban | ||
| Guarani | upéichata | ||
| Ilocano | pagayatan | ||
| Krio | go | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ویست | ||
| Maithili | करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯤꯜ | ||
| Mizo | duhdan | ||
| Oromo | will | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଇଚ୍ଛା | ||
| Quechua | will | ||
| Sanskrit | भविष्यति | ||
| Tatar | булачак | ||
| Tigrinya | ንመፃእ | ||
| Tsonga | ntsakelo | ||