Silkabelli: But “I am about to” doesn’t mean that something will happen to you. I’m confused.

In Kiswahili, "nataka" can mean "I want," but it can also mean "I am about to." Which is to say, it can express intention or desire, but it can also just mean that a thing (not intended or desired) is about to happen to me. Does this double meaning exist in any other language?

But “I am about to” doesn’t mean that something will happen to you. I’m confused.

an infamous example is "nataka kufa" which could mean "I want to die" but could also mean "I'm about to die / I am dying"

Ah thanks for the example, it helped a lot. In Italian and German it doesn’t also mean that it’s going to happen to you. Interesting

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