Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| weinen | /ˈvaɪ̯nən/ | |
| heulen | /ˈhɔʏ̯lən/ | |
| brüele | Alemannic German | |
| briegge | Alemannic German |
The standard term for the act of shedding tears is weinen. For more formal or emotional contexts, you can use the phrase Tränen vergießen, which translates to 'to shed tears'. If you want to describe the act of releasing emotions through tears, the phrase Sich ausweinen means 'to cry oneself out'.
Which one should you use?
While weinen is the standard, neutral term for crying, heulen is often used to describe loud, uncontrolled or visceral sobbing, similar to 'howling' or 'wailing'. For a very informal and colorful way to describe someone crying excessively, you can use the expression Rotz und Wasser heulen, which means 'to bawl snot and tears'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Alemannic-speaking regions, such as parts of Southwestern Germany or Switzerland, you may encounter the dialectal forms brüele or briegge to mean 'to cry'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past tense of weinen is weinte.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈvaɪ̯nən/
Did you know?
- The word heulen is frequently used sarcastically in German to mock someone who is complaining too much, even if they are not actually shedding tears.
- While heulen is used for crying, it is also the standard German word for the sound a wolf makes when 'howling'.
- The word weinen shares an ancient root with the English word 'woe', both descending from a Proto-Indo-European source meaning 'woe' or 'misery'.
Examples in context
- Tom wird nie weinen.Tom is never going to cry.This sentence shows the use of weinen in the future tense.Tatoeba #8739672 by Yorwba, translation #7117095 by CM
- Sie hörte ihn weinen.She heard him cry.Tatoeba #1341926 by al_ex_an_der, translation #887194 by CK
- Sie begann zu weinen.She started to cry.This sentence shows how to use weinen with the infinitive construction 'zu'.Tatoeba #1699542 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2261076 by Hybrid
- Als er den Film sah, fing er an zu heulen.When he watched the movie, he started to cry.
- Sie flennte die ganze Nacht, weil sie ihren besten Freund vermisste.She cried all night because she missed her best friend.
- 308 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah is comforting Maximilian after a sad movie.
- HannahWarum musst du weinen?Why do you have to cry?
- MaximilianDer Film war einfach so traurig.The movie was just so sad.
- HannahEs ist okay, ruhig zu weinen.It is okay to cry quietly.
- MaximilianDanke, Hannah.Thank you, Hannah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cry” translations and entries weinen, heulen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries heulen, weinen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
