Difficulty Level
intermediate
Translations
🇩🇪 weinen
, 🇪🇸 llorar
, 🇮🇹 piangere
, 🇵🇹 chorar
, 🇨🇳 哭泣
, 🇯🇵 泣く
, 🇰🇷 울다
, 🇸🇦 بكي
, 🇮🇳 रोना
Usage Examples
- Elle pleure quand elle regarde un film triste.
- On pleure parfois sans raison apparente.
- Il a pleuré après avoir perdu son chien.
Etymology
The French verb **pleurer** comes directly from Latin *plorāre* “to weep, cry.” The Latin verb in turn derives from the Proto‑Indo‑European root *pl̥‑ (or *plōr‑) meaning “to cry,” a root also seen in other Romance languages (e.g., Italian *plorare*). Through regular phonetic evolution in Old French (*plorare* → *pleure* → *pleurer*), the word has kept its basic sense of shedding tears.
Synonyms
sangloter
déplorer
gémir
verser des larmes
se lamenter
Antonyms
rire
sourire
se réjouir
célébrer
exulter