La Llorona
/la ʝoɾona/from spelling rules
La Llorona is the Spanish phrase for "the weeping woman".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the feminine article la (the) and the feminine noun llorona (weeping woman/one who cries).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word llorona is the feminine form of the adjective/noun llorón. The masculine form is el llorón.
How do you pronounce it?
/la ʝoɾona/
When do people say it?
In many Latin American cultures, La Llorona refers to a legendary figure of a woman who wanders near water, crying for her lost children.
Did you know?
- The legend of La Llorona is often linked to La Malinche, the indigenous woman who served as a translator for Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico.
- The term llorón is used in some Spanish-speaking regions to describe certain types of leaking faucets or pipes that drip constantly.
- While llorona refers to the legendary weeping woman, the masculine form el llorón is often used colloquially to describe a person who is a 'crybaby'.
Examples in context
- ¿Has oído hablar de "La Llorona"? Dicen que aparece durante las noches de luna llena.Have you heard about "La Llorona"? They say she appears during full moon nights.
- En el Yucatán, conocen a una figura similar a "La Llorona" llamada "La Xtabay."In the Yucatan, they know of a similar figure to "La Llorona" called "La Xtabay."
- Dicen que La Llorona aparece cerca del río.They say La Llorona appears near the river.
- Esa leyenda de La Llorona es muy famosa.That legend of La Llorona is very famous.
- No quiero escuchar la historia de La Llorona.I do not want to hear the story of La Llorona.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are talking about ghost stories.
- SofíaJavier, ¿sabes quién es La Llorona?Javier, do you know who La Llorona is?
- JavierSí, es el fantasma que busca a sus hijos.Yes, she is the ghost looking for her children.
- SofíaEsa historia me da muchos escalofríos.That story gives me a lot of chills.
- JavierA mí también, es muy triste y aterradora.Me too, it is very sad and terrifying.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
