Now in Different Languages: How to Say “Now” in 70 Languages Around the World

The word “now” is one of the most useful words in everyday communication.

It helps us talk about the present moment, give instructions, describe what is happening, and explain when something should happen.

If you are learning a new language, traveling abroad, or simply exploring different cultures, knowing how to say “now” in other languages can make conversations easier and more natural.

The translation of “now” varies across languages.

Some languages use a single word, while others may choose a different expression depending on the context.

For example, “now” can mean at this moment, immediately, or starting from this point onward.

In this guide, you will discover now in different languages, including native translations, easy English pronunciations, and practical example sentences. This table of 70 languages makes it simple to learn how to say “now” in all languages and understand how the word is used around the world.

How to Say “Now” in 70 Different Languages

The following table includes common translations of “now” in 70 languages. Pronunciations are approximate English-friendly guides, and example sentences show how each expression can be used in everyday conversation.

#	Language	Translation of “Now”	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
1	Spanish	Ahora	ah-OH-rah	Ahora voy a casa.	I am going home now.
2	French	Maintenant	mant-NAHN	Je pars maintenant.	I am leaving now.
3	German	Jetzt	yetst	Ich gehe jetzt.	I am going now.
4	Italian	Adesso	ah-DES-soh	Parto adesso.	I am leaving now.
5	Portuguese	Agora	ah-GOH-rah	Vou agora.	I am going now.
6	Dutch	Nu	noo	Ik ga nu.	I am going now.
7	Swedish	Nu	noo	Jag går nu.	I am leaving now.
8	Norwegian	Nå	noh	Jeg går nå.	I am leaving now.
9	Danish	Nu	noo	Jeg går nu.	I am leaving now.
10	Finnish	Nyt	nyut	Lähden nyt.	I am leaving now.
11	Icelandic	Núna	NOO-nah	Ég fer núna.	I am leaving now.
12	Irish	Anois	ah-NISH	Tá mé réidh anois.	I am ready now.
13	Welsh	Nawr	nowr	Dw i’n mynd nawr.	I am going now.
14	Scottish Gaelic	A-nis	ah-NEESH	Tha mi deiseil a-nis.	I am ready now.
15	Polish	Teraz	TEH-raz	Idę teraz.	I am going now.
16	Czech	Teď	tyet	Jdu teď.	I am going now.
17	Slovak	Teraz	TEH-raz	Odchádzam teraz.	I am leaving now.
18	Slovenian	Zdaj	zd-eye	Grem zdaj.	I am going now.
19	Croatian	Sada	SAH-dah	Idem sada.	I am going now.
20	Serbian	Сада (Sada)	SAH-dah	Сада идем.	I am going now.
21	Bosnian	Sada	SAH-dah	Idem sada.	I am going now.
22	Bulgarian	Сега (Sega)	seh-GAH	Тръгвам сега.	I am leaving now.
23	Macedonian	Сега (Sega)	seh-GAH	Одам сега.	I am going now.
24	Russian	Сейчас (Seychas)	see-CHAS	Я ухожу сейчас.	I am leaving now.
25	Ukrainian	Зараз (Zaraz)	zah-RAZ	Я йду зараз.	I am going now.
26	Belarusian	Цяпер (Tsia per)	tsya-PYER	Я іду цяпер.	I am going now.
27	Greek	Τώρα (Tóra)	TOH-rah	Φεύγω τώρα.	I am leaving now.
28	Albanian	Tani	TAH-nee	Po iki tani.	I am leaving now.
29	Romanian	Acum	ah-KOOM	Plec acum.	I am leaving now.
30	Hungarian	Most	mohst	Most indulok.	I am leaving now.
31	Estonian	Nüüd	nyuud	Ma lähen nüüd.	I am going now.
32	Latvian	Tagad	TAH-gad	Es eju tagad.	I am going now.
33	Lithuanian	Dabar	dah-BAR	Aš išeinu dabar.	I am leaving now.
34	Turkish	Şimdi	shim-DEE	Şimdi gidiyorum.	I am going now.
35	Azerbaijani	İndi	in-DEE	Mən indi gedirəm.	I am going now.
36	Kazakh	Қазір (Qazir)	kah-ZEER	Мен қазір барамын.	I am going now.
37	Uzbek	Hozir	hoh-ZEER	Men hozir ketaman.	I am leaving now.
38	Kyrgyz	Азыр (Azyr)	ah-ZUHR	Мен азыр барам.	I am going now.
39	Persian (Farsi)	الان (Alan)	ah-LAHN	من الان می‌روم.	I am going now.
40	Arabic	الآن (Al-aan)	al-AHN	أنا ذاهب الآن.	I am going now.
41	Hebrew	עכשיו (Achshav)	akh-SHAV	אני הולך עכשיו.	I am going now.
42	Hindi	अब (Ab)	ub	मैं अब जा रहा हूँ।	I am going now.
43	Urdu	اب (Ab)	ub	میں اب جا رہا ہوں۔	I am going now.
44	Bengali	এখন (Ekhon)	eh-KHON	আমি এখন যাব।	I will go now.
45	Punjabi	ਹੁਣ (Hun)	hoon	ਮੈਂ ਹੁਣ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ।	I am going now.
46	Gujarati	હવે (Have)	huh-VAY	હું હવે જાઉં છું.	I am going now.
47	Marathi	आता (Ata)	AH-tah	मी आता जात आहे.	I am going now.
48	Nepali	अहिले (Ahile)	ah-hee-LAY	म अहिले जान्छु।	I am going now.
49	Sinhala	දැන් (Dæn)	den	මම දැන් යනවා.	I am going now.
50	Tamil	இப்போது (Ippōthu)	ip-POH-thoo	நான் இப்போது போகிறேன்.	I am going now.
51	Telugu	ఇప్పుడు (Ippudu)	ip-POO-doo	నేను ఇప్పుడు వెళ్తాను.	I am going now.
52	Kannada	ಈಗ (Īga)	EE-gah	ನಾನು ಈಗ ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ.	I am going now.
53	Malayalam	ഇപ്പോൾ (Ippōḷ)	ip-POHL	ഞാൻ ഇപ്പോൾ പോകുന്നു.	I am going now.
54	Chinese (Mandarin)	现在 (Xiànzài)	shyen-ZAI	我现在走。	I am leaving now.
55	Japanese	今 (Ima)	ee-mah	今、行きます。	I am going now.
56	Korean	지금 (Jigeum)	jee-geum	지금 가요.	I am going now.
57	Vietnamese	Bây giờ	bay YUH	Tôi đi bây giờ.	I am going now.
58	Thai	ตอนนี้ (Ton níi)	ton-NEE	ฉันไปตอนนี้	I am going now.
59	Lao	ດຽວນີ້ (Diao ni)	dee-ow NEE	ຂ້ອຍໄປດຽວນີ້	I am going now.
60	Khmer	ឥឡូវនេះ (Eylov nih)	eh-low NEE	ខ្ញុំទៅឥឡូវនេះ។	I am going now.
61	Burmese	အခု (A khu)	ah-KHOO	အခု သွားမယ်။	I will go now.
62	Indonesian	Sekarang	seh-KAH-rang	Saya pergi sekarang.	I am going now.
63	Malay	Sekarang	seh-KAH-rang	Saya pergi sekarang.	I am going now.
64	Filipino (Tagalog)	Ngayon	ngah-YON	Aalis ako ngayon.	I am leaving now.
65	Javanese	Saiki	sah-EE-kee	Aku lunga saiki.	I am leaving now.
66	Swahili	Sasa	SAH-sah	Ninaondoka sasa.	I am leaving now.
67	Zulu	Manje	MAHN-jeh	Ngiyahamba manje.	I am leaving now.
68	Xhosa	Ngoku	ngoh-KOO	Ndiyahamba ngoku.	I am leaving now.
69	Afrikaans	Nou	now	Ek gaan nou.	I am going now.
70	Esperanto	Nun	noon	Mi iras nun.	I am going now.

Note: Pronunciations are simplified for English speakers and may not capture every sound precisely. In some languages, the most natural word for “now” changes with the sentence, level of formality, or intended meaning.

Why Is “Now” an Important Word in Different Languages?

“Now” connects language to time. It helps speakers explain what is happening at the present moment, when they plan to act, or when they want someone to do something.

Here are three common uses:

• Present moment: “I am working now.”
• Immediate action: “Please come now.”
• A change starting at this point: “From now on, I will practice every day.”

The same translation does not always fit all three situations. For example, a language may use one word for the present moment and a different expression to communicate urgency.

Different Ways to Use “Now” in Everyday Conversation

Learning the translation alone is useful, but understanding how to use it makes the word much easier to remember.

1. Talking About the Present

Use “now” to describe something happening at this moment.

Examples:

• English: I am busy now.
• Spanish: Estoy ocupado ahora.
• French: Je suis occupé maintenant.
• German: Ich bin jetzt beschäftigt.

2. Asking Someone to Act Immediately

When you need an action to happen without delay, “now” can communicate urgency. Depending on the language and tone, it may sound direct or even demanding.

Examples:

• English: Come here now.
• Spanish: Ven aquí ahora.
• French: Viens ici maintenant.
• German: Komm jetzt her.

A polite word or phrase can make these requests sound friendlier.

3. Describing a Change

“Now” can also introduce a new situation or explain what happens next.

Examples:

• English: Now I understand.
• Spanish: Ahora entiendo.
• French: Maintenant, je comprends.
• Italian: Adesso capisco.

These expressions are useful in classrooms, at work, while traveling, and during everyday conversations.

How to Learn “Now” in Different Languages Faster

You do not need to memorize all 70 translations at once. A few simple learning habits can help you remember the words and use them naturally.

• Learn five words at a time. Start with languages you are most interested in.
• Practice with complete sentences. Remembering “I am leaving now” can be easier than memorizing a word by itself.
• Say the word aloud. Compare your pronunciation with a reliable native-speaker example when possible.
• Write down familiar situations. Practice phrases such as “I am ready now,” “Come now,” and “I understand now.”
• Review regularly. Revisit new words after a day, several days, and a week.

The best way to learn translations is to connect each word with a real situation instead of treating it as an isolated vocabulary item.

Are Translations of “Now” Always the Same?

No. Although many languages have a common equivalent of “now,” the most appropriate translation depends on the context.

For example, consider these English phrases:

• “I am here now.”
• “Do it now!”
• “From now on, be careful.”
• “Now, let us begin.”

Each phrase uses “now” slightly differently. A direct word-for-word translation may sound unnatural in another language, so it is helpful to learn complete expressions alongside individual words.

Regional differences, formality, and sentence structure can also affect which expression a native speaker would choose.

“Now” Around the World: Quick Facts

• Spanish and Portuguese: Both use ahora for the common meaning of “now.”
• German and Dutch: German uses jetzt, while Dutch uses nu.
• Hindi and Urdu: Both commonly use ab, although their writing systems differ.
• Indonesian and Malay: Both use sekarang for “now.”
• Japanese: Ima is a common word for “now.”
• Mandarin Chinese: Xiànzài is a common expression for the present moment.
• Arabic: Al-aan is a common translation, with pronunciation and usage varying by dialect.

These examples show how languages can express the same idea through different sounds, scripts, and sentence patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say “now” in different languages?

“Now” has different translations around the world. Examples include ahora in Spanish, maintenant in French, jetzt in German, adesso in Italian, ab in Hindi and Urdu, and ima in Japanese.

2. What is “now” in all languages?

There is no single word shared by every language. Common translations include nu in Dutch, teraz in Polish, sada in Croatian, sekarang in Indonesian, and xiànzài in Mandarin Chinese. The table above lists 70 languages.

3. What is the difference between “now” and “immediately”?

“Now” can refer to the present moment or the current situation. “Immediately” places stronger emphasis on doing something without delay. Some languages use different words or expressions to communicate these meanings.

4. Why does the translation of “now” change depending on context?

Languages organize time and sentence meaning differently. A word that works when describing the present moment may not be the most natural choice for a command or an expression such as “from now on.” Full sentences help you choose the right translation.

5. What is the easiest way to memorize “now” translations?

Learn a few languages at a time and practice each translation in a short sentence. Read the word aloud, write it down, and review it regularly. Connecting vocabulary to everyday situations helps you remember it longer.

Conclusion

Learning how to say “now” in different languages is a simple way to expand your vocabulary and understand how people communicate around the world. From ahora in Spanish to maintenant in French and sekarang in Indonesian, each translation expresses the idea of the present moment in its own linguistic context.

Use this list of 70 translations as a starting point. Practice the words in complete sentences, pay attention to pronunciation, and explore how their meanings change in different situations. With regular practice, you can use these expressions more confidently in conversations, language study, and travel.