ליגנער
lignermasculine
The Yiddish word for "liar" is ליגנער (ligner). Wiktionary also lists כּזבֿן (kazvn) and שקרן (shakren).
Meaning: one who tells lies (noun)
Ways to say it
| Yiddish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ליגנער | ligner | masculine | |
| כּזבֿן | kazvn | /ˈkazvn̩/ | |
| שקרן | shakren | masculine | |
| דובֿר־שקרים | doyver-shkorim | masculine | |
| ליגנערין | lignerin | feminine | |
| ליגנערקע | lignerke | feminine | |
| שקרנטע | shákrente | feminine | |
| כּזבֿנטע | kázvnte | feminine |
All provided forms refer to a person who tells lies.
Which one should you use?
The masculine forms include ליגנער, שקרן, כּזבֿן and דובֿר־שקרים. For women, you can use the standard feminine form ליגנערין or the diminutive ליגנערקע, which is often used in a more colloquial or slightly less harsh way. If you are using the form שקרן, the feminine version is שקרנטע. If you are using the form כּזבֿן, the feminine version is כּזבֿנטע.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ליגנערקע is a diminutive used to refer to a female liar, often in a more colloquial or slightly less harsh way than the standard feminine ליגנערין.
How do you pronounce it?
ligner
Did you know?
- If you call someone a ליגנערקע in a heated argument, the 'cute' diminutive actually makes the insult feel more patronizing and sharp.
- Yiddish has multiple words for 'liar' because it blends Germanic and Semitic roots. ליגנער comes from a Germanic root, while שקרן and כּזבֿן are derived from Hebrew.
- While ליגנער is common, using the Hebrew-derived שקרן can give a phrase a more formal or even a 'learned' tone, often found in religious or literary texts.
Examples in context
- ער איז אַזאַ שקרן!He's such a liar!This sentence is useful for expressing how much of a liar someone is using שקרן.Tatoeba #13464019 by rul, translation #13450735 by rul
- זײַ נישט קיין שקרן.Don't be a liar.This sentence is useful for advising someone not to be a liar using שקרן.Tatoeba #11620376 by shekitten, translation #9662844 by DJ_Saidez
- טאָם איז לחלוטין אַ שקרן.Tom is an out-and-out liar.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a complete liar using שקרן.Tatoeba #10498181 by shekitten, translation #2796886 by sharptoothed
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Reizel and Berl are arguing about a story Berl told.
- רייזל Reizelדו ביסט אַ ליגנער, בערל!Du bist a ligner, Berl!You are a liar, Berl!
- בערל Berelאיך זאָג נאָר די אמת.Ikh zog nor di emes.I am only telling the truth.
- רייזל Reizelאַ ליגנער וועט שטענדיק זאָגן דאָס.A ligner vet shtendik zogn dos.A liar will always say that.
- בערל Berelאיך ליג נישט!Ikh lig nisht!I'm not lying!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “liar” translations and entries ליגנער, כּזבֿן, שקרן, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
