Inklingo

How to Say "cries" in Spanish

English → Spanish

llora

YOH-rah/ˈʝo.ɾa/

Verb (Conjugated Form)A1General
Use 'llora' when referring to the act of a person or animal shedding tears and making sounds due to sadness, pain, or strong emotion.
A sad young child is sitting down, crying with tears visibly rolling down their cheek.

Examples

El bebé llora mucho cuando tiene hambre.

The baby cries a lot when he is hungry.

Ella llora porque la película es muy triste.

She is crying because the movie is very sad.

¿Usted llora por las noticias?

Are you (formal) crying because of the news?

The Dual Role of 'Llora'

'Llora' is used for two purposes: 1) To state that 'he,' 'she,' or 'it' is crying (Present Tense), and 2) To give an informal command to 'you' (singular, 'tú'): '¡Llora!' (Cry!).

Regular -AR Verb

This verb follows the most common pattern for Spanish verbs, making its conjugations predictable once you know the basic endings.

Confusing 'llora' and 'lloras'

Mistake:Using 'llora' when talking directly to a friend ('tú').

Correction: Remember: 'llora' is for he/she/it or formal 'usted'. If you are talking to a friend, you must say 'tú lloras' (you cry).

gritos

GREE-tohs/ˈɡɾitos/

NounA1General
Use 'gritos' for loud vocalizations, shouts, or screams, often expressing excitement, pain, or surprise, rather than the act of weeping.
A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration of a small person standing in a bright green field, mouth wide open, emitting exaggerated, stylized sound lines to represent a loud shout.

Examples

Los gritos de los niños se oían desde la calle.

The shouts of the children could be heard from the street.

Hubo gritos de alegría cuando el equipo ganó el campeonato.

There were screams of joy when the team won the championship.

Sus gritos de auxilio alertaron a los vecinos.

Her cries for help alerted the neighbors.

Always Plural

Since 'gritos' is the plural of 'grito', you always use plural forms with it (e.g., 'los gritos', 'muchos gritos').

Using the wrong article

Mistake:La gritos son fuertes.

Correction: Los gritos son fuertes. (Remember, 'gritos' is a masculine noun.)

llamadas

ya-MAH-dahs/ʝaˈmaðas/

NounA1Archaic/Literary
Use 'llamadas' specifically for shouts that are intended to call out to someone or get their attention, though this usage is less common today.
An illustration showing three simple, colorful mobile phones, each emitting curved dashed lines to signify outgoing calls.

Examples

El marinero hizo llamadas de auxilio.

The sailor made cries for help.

¿Cuántas llamadas perdidas tienes?

How many missed calls do you have?

Hice tres llamadas a mi banco, pero nadie respondió.

I made three calls to my bank, but no one answered.

Las llamadas de atención del profesor fueron necesarias.

The warnings (calls for attention) from the teacher were necessary.

Plural Feminine

Since this word ends in -as, it is plural and feminine. Remember to use feminine articles and adjectives with it (e.g., 'las llamadas', 'muchas llamadas').

Misusing Gender

Mistake:Los llamadas

Correction: Use 'las llamadas' or 'una llamada' because the original noun 'la llamada' is feminine.

Confusing 'llora' and 'gritos'

Learners often confuse 'llora' (cries/weeps) with 'gritos' (shouts/screams). Remember that 'llora' refers specifically to shedding tears and the associated sounds of sadness or pain, while 'gritos' are loud vocalizations like shouts or yells.

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.