voy a llorar
/boi a ʝoɾaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I will cry" is translated into Spanish as voy a llorar.
Voy a llorar is a statement used to express that the speaker is about to shed tears. You might also use the phrase No podré evitar llorar to express that you won't be able to hold back your tears, or Joder, voy a echar unas lágrimas to use expletive language to convey a stronger emotional response.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase voy a llorar literally translates to "I am going to cry" using the periphrastic future construction.
Which one should you use?
While voy a llorar is the most common way to express the immediate intention to cry, you can also use the simple future form lloraré. The latter sounds more formal or literary than voy a llorar. Additionally, you can use the colloquial phrase Lloraré, tío/tía to say "I'll cry, dude".
How does it change in a sentence?
Although voy a llorar is a periphrastic future, it is the most common way to express the immediate intention to cry in Spanish.
Did you know?
- The verb llorar shares a root with the English word 'implore'. Both stem from the Latin plōrāre, which originally meant to cry out or wail loudly.
- The colloquial phrase echar lágrimas literally means 'throwing tears'. This imagery suggests a more sudden or active release of emotion than the standard verb llorar.
- In Spain, the word tío used in Lloraré, tío literally means 'uncle'. It is used as 'dude' or 'mate' regardless of whether the person is actually a relative.
Examples in context
- ¡Voy a llorar desconsoladamente!I'm going to cry inconsolably!
- Lloraré discretamente.I will cry discreetly.
- Voy a llorar como un bebé.I'm gonna cry like a baby.
- Voy a soltar lágrimasI'm going to let tears fall.
- Se me van a salir las lágrimasMy tears are going to come out.
- Si no vienes, voy a llorar.If you don't come, I will cry.
- Si veo esa película, voy a llorar.If I see that movie, I will cry.
- No me digas eso, voy a llorar.Don't tell me that, I will cry.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are watching a sad video.
- LucíaMira ese perrito, voy a llorar.Look at that puppy, I'm going to cry.
- DanielNo llores, Lucía.Don't cry, Lucía.
- LucíaEs que es demasiado triste.It's just too sad.
- DanielToma un pañuelo, Daniel te ayuda.Take a tissue, Daniel will help you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, llorar, voy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
