למה
Hebrew
Pronunciation
- (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ˈlɔm.mɔ/ or IPA(key): /lɔ.ˈmɔ/
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /ˈlama/
Etymology 1
Adverb
לָ֫מָּה or לָמָ֫ה • (láma or lamá)
- (interrogative) why, for what reason
- למה אתה לא מסדר את החדר שלך? ― Why don't you clean your room?
- (relative) for which reason
- Synonym: שֶׁ־ (she-)
- זו הסיבה למה יצאתי מהתחום הזה. ― This is the reason why I left this field.
- (fused relative) the reason for which
- אני מבינה למה הם זועמים עליה. ― I understand why they are furious at her.
- (very colloquial) because
Synonyms
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Ultimately from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama.
Alternative forms
Noun
לָמָה • (láma) f (plural indefinite לָמוֹת)
References
- “למה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language
Further reading
- למה (סוג) on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia he