לבכות
livkot
To cry in Hebrew is לבכות (livkot).
The verb לבכות is used to describe the act of shedding tears. If you want to refer to the act of crying or weeping as a concept, you use the noun בכי.
Meaning: intransitive: to shed tears (verb)
Which one should you use?
While לבכות refers specifically to shedding tears, the words צְעָקָה or קְרִיאָה are used when the meaning is to shout or scream.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
livkot
Did you know?
- In modern Israeli slang, the word בכייני (bakyani), derived from the root for 'cry', is often used to describe someone who is a 'sore loser' or 'whiny', regardless of whether they are actually shedding tears.
- While לבכות means 'to cry', the phrase לבכות על חלב שנשפך means 'to cry over spilled milk' and is used exactly like the English idiom.
- When expressing that something is 'heartbreaking' or 'makes one cry', Hebrew often uses a structure that focuses on the eyes or the heart rather than the direct verb 'to cry'.
Examples in context
- זה גרם לי לבכות.This made me cry.This sentence shows how to use לבכות to express being moved to tears by something.Tatoeba #1823934 by MrShoval, translation #1635878 by Spamster
- הוא גרם לו לבכות.He made him cry.This sentence illustrates the use of לבכות when one person makes another person cry.Tatoeba #1922426 by MrShoval, translation #1920784 by Spamster
- זה גורם לי לבכות.That makes me cry.This sentence demonstrates how to express that something causes the act of crying using לבכות.Tatoeba #3169299 by fekundulo, translation #3434006 by AlanF_US
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Maya are talking about a sad movie.
- דניאל Danielהסרט הזה גורם לי לבכות.Ha-seret ha-ze gorem li livkot.This movie makes me cry.
- מאיה Mayaגם אני רציתי לבכות בסוף.Gam ani ratsiti livkot ba-sof.I wanted to cry at the end too.
- דניאל Danielזה היה כל כך עצוב.Ze haya kol kach atsuv.It was so sad.
- מאיה Mayaכן, כמעט התחלתי לבכות שם.Ken, kimat hitchalti livkot sham.Yes, I almost started to cry there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
