brillar
/bɾiˈʝaɾ/
To shine in Spanish is expressed as brillar. Wiktionary also lists lucir.
Meaning: to emit light (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| brillar | /bɾiˈʝaɾ/ |
| lucir | /luˈθiɾ/ /luˈsiɾ/ |
The verb brillar is used to describe the physical emission of light, particularly by celestial bodies such as the sun or the stars. You can use the related noun brillo to refer to brightness coming from a light source or brightness from reflected light. If you want to describe something as being bright or shining, you can use the adjective brillante.
Which one should you use?
While brillar refers to the physical emission of light, lucir is a more stylistic or formal option often used figuratively to mean 'to shine' in the sense of looking good or showing off an appearance.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The gerund form of brillar is brillando, which is used to describe the ongoing action of emitting light.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɾiˈʝaɾ/
Did you know?
- The root of brillar can be traced back to the ancient Greek word bḗrullos, which referred to a beryl gemstone.
- In Spanish, the verb lucir can be used as a reflexive verb lucirse to mean that someone has excelled or made a great impression in a specific situation.
- The noun brillo is used in Spanish to describe the 'gloss' of lip gloss or the 'shine' of a polished car, combining both light emission and surface texture.
Examples in context
- El sol brillará nuevamente pronto.The sun will shine again soon.This sentence shows the use of brillar regarding the sun.Tatoeba #2009166 by marcelostockle, translation #1874807 by dryhay
- Las nubes se disiparon y dejaron brillar el sol.The clouds cleared up and let the sun shine.This sentence shows how the sun is allowed to brillar after clouds clear.Tatoeba #638174 by Leono, translation #26524 by seoetung
- Por muy larga que sea la tormenta, el sol siempre vuelve a brillar entre las nubes.No matter how long the storm is, the sun always comes back to shine through the clouds.This sentence demonstrates that the sun always returns to brillar through the clouds.Tatoeba #962601 by gleOsp, translation #10294619 by LimeGreenTeknii
- El sol luce hoy de manera espléndida en el cielo.The sun is shining splendidly today in the sky.
- Mi anillo de diamantes luce mucho en esta luz.My diamond ring shines a lot in this light.
- Las estrellas brillan en el firmamento.The stars shine in the firmament.
- El sol brillaba intensamente durante el día.The sun was shining intensely during the day.
- Esa joya que tienes puesta reluce mucho.That piece of jewelry you're wearing shines a lot.
- Después de pulir el auto, el coche reluce como nuevo.After polishing the car, it shines like new.
- La luna resplandece en el horizonte nocturno.The moon shines brightly in the nighttime horizon.
- Ella entró a la fiesta resplandeciente con su vestido de gala.She entered the party looking radiant in her gown.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are looking at the night sky.
- DanielMira cómo brillarían las estrellas sin tanta contaminación.Look how the stars would shine without so much pollution.
- ElenaEs verdad, hoy apenas se puede ver alguna.It is true, today you can barely see any.
- DanielAquella estrella parece brillar más que las otras.That star seems to shine more than the others.
- ElenaTienes razón, Daniel, es muy intensa.You are right, Daniel, it is very intense.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shine” translations and entries brillar, lucir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brillar, lucir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
