למה

See also: ל־ מה

Hebrew

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Compare Arabic لما.

Adverb

לָ֫מָּה or לָמָ֫ה • (láma or lamá)

  1. (interrogative) why, for what reason
    למה אתה לא מסדר את החדר שלך?Why don't you clean your room?
  2. (relative) for which reason
    Synonym: שֶׁ־ (she-)
    זו הסיבה למה יצאתי מהתחום הזה.This is the reason why I left this field.
  3. (fused relative) the reason for which
    אני מבינה למה הם זועמים עליה.I understand why they are furious at her.
  4. (very colloquial) because
Synonyms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama.

Alternative forms

Noun

לָמָה • (lámaf (plural indefinite לָמוֹת)

  1. llama

References

  • למה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

Anagrams