tengo ganas de llorar
/tenɡo ɡanas de ʝoɾaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I wanna cry" can be translated into Spanish as tengo ganas de llorar.
The phrase is used to express a strong feeling or an urge to weep. You can also use me dan ganas de llorar to say "I get the urge to cry", which focuses on the feeling coming to you.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can say tengo ganas de echarme a llorar to specifically mean "I feel like bursting into tears".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the expression tener ganas de followed by an infinitive verb to express a desire or urge to do something. To change the subject to "you", change the verb tengo to tienes (e.g., tienes ganas de llorar). To express that you felt the urge to cry in the past, use the imperfect form tenía ganas de llorar.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo ɡanas de ʝoɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- While tengo ganas de llorar expresses a desire to cry, the word ganas is also used to describe sexual desire or 'horniness' in many Spanish-speaking countries.
- The verb llorar shares an ancestor with the English word 'implore'. Both stem from the Latin 'plorare', which originally meant to cry out or lament loudly.
- In some cultures, people use the phrase me dan ganas de llorar ironically when they are laughing so hard that they begin to weep.
Examples in context
- Me siento triste y tengo ganas de llorar.I feel sad and I wanna cry.
- Tengo ganas de llorar de pura alegría.I wanna cry from pure joy.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are watching a very sad documentary.
- AlejandroEs muy triste, tengo ganas de llorar.It is very sad, I wanna cry.
- LucíaNo llores, Alejandro, yo también me siento mal.Don't cry, Alejandro, I feel bad too.
- AlejandroEs que la historia es muy conmovedora.It's just that the story is very moving.
- LucíaTienes razón, es un documental muy fuerte.You are right, it is a very strong documentary.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, ganas, llorar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
