By in Different Languages: 70 Translations With Pronunciation and Examples

The word by in different languages can have several meanings depending on how it is used. In English, by can indicate who performs an action, how something is done, when something happens, or where something is located. For example, written by Sarah, by train, and by the door use the same word in different ways. Many languages translate these meanings with different words or grammatical structures rather than one direct equivalent. This guide explores 70 languages with native expressions, easy pronunciation guides, and practical examples to help you understand how to say and use by around the world.

How Do You Say By in Different Languages?

The translation of by depends on its meaning in a sentence. In Spanish, por can indicate an agent or method, while junto a can mean beside. In French, par can identify the person who performs an action, while près de means near.

Here are a few common translations for different uses of by.

Language	Translation of By	Example	English Meaning
Spanish	Por	Escrito por Ana.	Written by Ana.
French	Par	Écrit par Marie.	Written by Marie.
German	Von	Ein Buch von Anna.	A book by Anna.
Italian	Da	Scritto da Luca.	Written by Luca.
Portuguese	Por	Feito por Ana.	Made by Ana.
Hindi	द्वारा / से	यह राम द्वारा लिखा गया।	This was written by Ram.
Urdu	کی طرف سے	یہ علی کی طرف سے ہے۔	This is by Ali.
Arabic	بواسطة	كُتب بواسطة أحمد.	Written by Ahmad.

These are context-specific examples, not universal translations. The right choice depends on whether by expresses an agent, method, location, deadline, or another relationship.

By in South Asian Languages

In South Asian languages, the English word by may be translated differently depending on whether it identifies an agent, a method, or a direction. These examples focus mainly on the person responsible for an action.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Hindi	द्वारा	Dwaara	यह पुस्तक राम द्वारा लिखी गई है।	This book was written by Ram.
Urdu	کی طرف سے	Ki taraf se	یہ خط علی کی طرف سے ہے۔	This letter is from Ali.
Punjabi	ਵੱਲੋਂ	Vallon	ਇਹ ਚਿੱਠੀ ਅਮਨ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਹੈ।	This letter is from Aman.
Bengali	দ্বারা	Dwara	বইটি রবীন্দ্রনਾਥ দ্বারা লেখা হয়েছিল।	The book was written by Rabindranath.
Gujarati	દ્વારા	Dwara	આ પત્ર રામ દ્વારા લખાયો હતો.	This letter was written by Ram.
Marathi	द्वारे	Dware	हे पत्र रामद्वारे पाठवले गेले.	This letter was sent by Ram.
Nepali	द्वारा	Dwara	यो पुस्तक रामद्वारा लेखिएको हो।	This book was written by Ram.

By in East Asian Languages

East Asian languages often express the agent of an action through particles, grammatical constructions, or specific words. The most natural equivalent of by depends on the sentence.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Chinese (Mandarin)	由	Yóu	这本书由李明写的。	This book was written by Li Ming.
Japanese	によって	Ni yotte	この本は田中さんによって書かれました。	This book was written by Tanaka.
Korean	에 의해	E ui-hae	이 책은 민수에 의해 쓰였습니다.	This book was written by Minsu.
Mongolian	-аар	Aar	Энэ номыг Бат бичсэн.	This book was written by Bat.
Tibetan	གིས	Gi	ང་གིས་དེ་བྲིས་པ་ཡིན།	I wrote that.
Burmese	မှ	Hma	ဒီစာကို မောင်မောင်က ရေးခဲ့တယ်။	This text was written by Maung Maung.
Cantonese	由	Jau	呢本書由阿明寫。	This book was written by Ah Ming.

By in Southeast Asian Languages

In Southeast Asia, words corresponding to by can identify the person who performs an action or describe the method used to accomplish something.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Indonesian	Oleh	Oh-leh	Buku ini ditulis oleh Rina.	This book was written by Rina.
Malay	Oleh	Oh-leh	Buku ini ditulis oleh Rina.	This book was written by Rina.
Filipino (Tagalog)	Ni	Nee	Ang aklat ay isinulat ni Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Vietnamese	Bởi	Buhy	Cuốn sách được viết bởi Lan.	The book was written by Lan.
Thai	โดย	Doy	หนังสือเล่มนี้เขียนโดยสมชาย	This book was written by Somchai.
Khmer	ដោយ	Daoy	សៀវភៅនេះសរសេរដោយសុខា។	This book was written by Sokha.
Lao	ໂດຍ	Doi	ປຶ້ມນີ້ຂຽນໂດຍຄຳ.	This book was written by Kham.

By in Middle Eastern Languages

In Middle Eastern languages, the translation can vary depending on whether by identifies an agent, a means, or a source. Some expressions are more formal than others.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Arabic	بواسطة	Bi-wa-si-tat	كُتب هذا الكتاب بواسطة أحمد.	This book was written by Ahmad.
Persian (Farsi)	توسط	Ta-vas-so-te	این کتاب توسط علی نوشته شد.	This book was written by Ali.
Hebrew	על ידי	Al yedei	הספר נכתב על ידי דנה.	The book was written by Dana.
Turkish	Tarafından	Ta-ra-fın-dan	Bu kitap Ayşe tarafından yazıldı.	This book was written by Ayşe.
Pashto	له خوا	La khwa	دا کتاب د احمد له خوا لیکل شوی دی.	This book was written by Ahmad.
Kurdish (Kurmanji)	Ji aliyê … ve	Zhee ah-lee-yeh … veh	Ev pirtûk ji aliyê Ahmed ve hatiye nivîsandin.	This book was written by Ahmad.
Azerbaijani	Tərəfindən	Teh-re-fin-den	Bu kitab Əli tərəfindən yazılıb.	This book was written by Ali.

By in Western European Languages

In Western European languages, by commonly identifies the creator of a work or the person responsible for an action. The equivalent may also change when the word describes movement or proximity.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Spanish	Por	Por	El libro fue escrito por Ana.	The book was written by Ana.
French	Par	Par	Ce livre a été écrit par Marie.	This book was written by Marie.
German	Von	Fon	Das Buch wurde von Anna geschrieben.	The book was written by Anna.
Italian	Da	Dah	Il libro è stato scritto da Luca.	The book was written by Luca.
Portuguese	Por	Por	O livro foi escrito por Ana.	The book was written by Ana.
Dutch	Door	Door	Het boek is door Anna geschreven.	The book was written by Anna.
Catalan	Per	Per	El llibre va ser escrit per Anna.	The book was written by Anna.

By in Northern European Languages

Northern European languages use different grammatical constructions to identify the author or agent of an action. In some languages, the equivalent of by is a preposition, while others prefer a passive construction or a participle.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swedish	Av	Ahv	Boken skrevs av Anna.	The book was written by Anna.
Norwegian	Av	Ahv	Boken ble skrevet av Anna.	The book was written by Anna.
Danish	Af	Af	Bogen blev skrevet af Anna.	The book was written by Anna.
Finnish	Kirjoittama	Keer-yoyt-ta-ma	Tämä on Annan kirjoittama kirja.	This is a book written by Anna.
Icelandic	Af	Av	Bókin var skrifuð af Önnu.	The book was written by Anna.
Estonian	Poolt	Poolt	Raamat on Anna poolt kirjutatud.	The book was written by Anna.
Faroese	Av	Av	Bókin varð skrivað av Annu.	The book was written by Anna.

By in Southern European Languages

Southern European languages use different words and constructions for authorship, agency, and other meanings of by. The following examples show how the word works when describing who wrote something.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Greek	Από	A-po	Το βιβλίο γράφτηκε από τη Μαρία.	The book was written by Maria.
Romanian	De	Deh	Cartea a fost scrisă de Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Albanian	Nga	Nga	Libri u shkrua nga Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Maltese	Minn	Minn	Il-ktieb inkiteb minn Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Corsican	Da	Dah	U libru hè statu scrittu da Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Sardinian	Da	Dah	Su libru est istadu iscritu dae Maria.	The book was written by Maria.
Galician	Por	Por	O libro foi escrito por María.	The book was written by María.

By in Slavic and Eastern European Languages

Slavic languages often use prepositions that correspond to by in passive sentences. The appropriate grammatical form can vary according to gender, number, and sentence structure.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Russian	Кем / автором	Kyem / av-ta-ram	Книга написана Анной.	The book was written by Anna.
Ukrainian	Ким / автором	Kym / av-to-rom	Книгу написала Анна.	The book was written by Anna.
Polish	Przez	Pshez	Książka została napisana przez Annę.	The book was written by Anna.
Czech	Od	Oht	Kniha byla napsána Annou.	The book was written by Anna.
Slovak	Od	Oht	Knihu napísala Anna.	The book was written by Anna.
Bulgarian	От	Ot	Книгата е написана от Анна.	The book was written by Anna.
Croatian	Od	Od	Knjigu je napisala Ana.	The book was written by Ana.

By in African Languages

African languages may use words corresponding to by to identify an agent, indicate a means, or explain how something happens. These examples focus on common ways to express authorship or responsibility.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swahili	Na	Nah	Kitabu kiliandikwa na Amina.	The book was written by Amina.
Zulu	Ngu-	Ngoo	Le ncwadi ibhalwe ngu-Ayanda.	This book was written by Ayanda.
Xhosa	Ngu-	Ngoo	Le ncwadi ibhalwe ngu-Ayanda.	This book was written by Ayanda.
Afrikaans	Deur	Deer	Die boek is deur Anna geskryf.	The book was written by Anna.
Yoruba	Nípasẹ̀	Nee-pah-sheh	A kọ ìwé náà nípasẹ̀ Adé.	The book was written by Ade.
Igbo	Site n’aka	See-teh n-ah-kah	E dere akwụkwọ a site n’aka Ada.	This book was written by Ada.
Hausa	Ta hannun	Tah han-noon	An rubuta littafin nan ta hannun Amina.	This book was written by Amina.

By in Other World Languages

These additional languages illustrate how the equivalent of by can appear as a preposition, a grammatical marker, or part of a larger phrase.

Language	Native Phrase	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Māori	Nā	Naa	Nā Hana tēnei pukapuka i tuhi.	This book was written by Hana.
Hawaiian	E	Eh	Na Malia i kākau kēia puke.	This book was written by Malia.
Samoan	E	Eh	Na tusia lenei tusi e Ana.	This book was written by Ana.
Tongan	ʻE	Eh	Naʻe tohi ʻa e tohi ni ʻe Sione.	This book was written by Sione.
Fijian	Mai vei	My vay	Na vola na ivola qo o Ana.	This book was written by Ana.
Welsh	Gan	Gan	Cafodd y llyfr ei ysgrifennu gan Anna.	The book was written by Anna.
Irish	Ag	Egg	Scríobhadh an leabhar ag Anna.	The book was written by Anna.

Different Meanings of By in English

The word by is a preposition with several meanings. Understanding these meanings helps you choose the right translation in another language.

Meaning	Example Sentence	Explanation
The person who performs an action	The song was written by Sara.	Identifies who created the song.
A method of travel	We travelled by train.	Describes how someone travelled.
A deadline	Please finish it by Friday.	Indicates the latest acceptable time.
A location nearby	She sat by the window.	Means beside or near the window.
The means of doing something	He paid by card.	Describes the payment method.
An amount or difference	Prices increased by five dollars.	Describes the size of a change.
An action or process	You can learn by practising.	Explains how learning happens.

A direct translation may work in one sentence but not another. For example, the Spanish por can express an agent, a reason, or a method, while junto a is more appropriate for the meaning of beside.

How to Use By in Everyday Conversations

You can learn the word more effectively by studying complete phrases instead of memorizing isolated translations.

• By car: We went to the city by car.
• By hand: The artist made the decoration by hand.
• By tomorrow: Please send the report by tomorrow.
• By the door: Your shoes are by the door.
• Written by: This article was written by Maria.
• By mistake: I sent the wrong message by mistake.

When translating these phrases, consider the intended meaning first. Languages often use different prepositions or sentence structures for each expression.

Common Mistakes When Translating By

Avoid these common translation mistakes when learning English or another language.

• Using one translation everywhere: A word used for authorship may not work for location or deadlines.
• Ignoring sentence structure: Some languages use grammatical particles or verb forms instead of a separate preposition.
• Translating word for word: Expressions such as by mistake may require a completely different construction in another language.
• Forgetting context: The phrase by the sea describes location, while by the end of the day refers to time.
• Overlooking grammar: A translation may change according to the tense, grammatical case, or structure of a sentence.

The most reliable approach is to learn by through complete example sentences and check how the target language naturally expresses the same idea.

How to Learn and Remember By in Different Languages

Use these simple techniques to understand the word in multiple languages.

• Group phrases by meaning: Learn translations for location, method, authorship, and deadlines separately.
• Practise with everyday sentences: Translate examples such as written by Anna and travel by train.
• Use flashcards: Write the English phrase on one side and its natural equivalent on the other.
• Compare related languages: Spanish and Portuguese sometimes use similar prepositions, but their grammar and idioms can still differ.
• Review complete sentences: Practising sentences helps you understand when a translation is appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say by in different languages?

The translation depends on the context. Examples include por in Spanish, par in French, von in German for certain authorship constructions, oleh in Indonesian, and によって (ni yotte) in Japanese for identifying an agent.

What does by mean in English?

By is a preposition that can indicate an agent, method, deadline, location, or amount of change. For example, written by Sara identifies an author, while by Friday specifies a deadline.

What is the difference between by and with?

By often identifies the person performing an action or the method used. With commonly identifies a tool or an accompanying person. For example, The picture was painted by Sara with a brush.

How do you say by in Spanish?

Por is used for several meanings of by, including the agent in some passive constructions. For example, El libro fue escrito por Ana means The book was written by Ana. Other meanings may require expressions such as junto a, meaning beside.

Does by have the same translation in every language?

No. Some languages use different words for different meanings of by, while others express the relationship through grammatical particles, verb forms, or sentence structure. Always consider the complete sentence before choosing a translation.

Conclusion

Learning by in different languages is easier when you understand how the word functions in a sentence. From identifying an author to describing a method, location, or deadline, the correct translation depends on context. Practise complete phrases, compare natural examples, and pay attention to grammatical differences to improve your understanding of English and other languages.