elevarse
/elebaɾse/from spelling rules
To soar in Spanish is elevarse.
Elevarse is used to describe the action of flying aloft with little effort. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a rapid increase in values, such as when se elevaron los precios (prices soared).
Meaning: to fly aloft with little effort (verb)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the intransitive elevarse, which means to soar or rise by itself and the transitive verb elevar, which means to lift or raise an object.
How does it change in a sentence?
The third person plural preterite form, used to say they soared, is se elevaron.
How do you pronounce it?
/elebaɾse/
Did you know?
- While elevarse describes a graceful ascent, the verb dispararse is used for soaring prices because it literally means 'to shoot off' like a gun or a rocket.
- In poetic Spanish, you might use surcar to describe soaring, which shares the same root as the word for 'plowing' a field with a plow.
- When a legal case or a formal request 'soars' to a higher court or authority, Spanish uses the specific phrase elevar a instancia superior.
Examples in context
- Los pájaros vuelan majestuosamente sobre el horizonteThe birds soar majestically over the horizon
- El avión se eleva en el cieloThe plane soars in the sky
- El águila alza vuelo desde la cima de la montañaThe eagle soars from the top of the mountain
- Después de años de esfuerzo, finalmente logró volar alto en su carreraAfter years of hard work, he finally managed to soar high in his career
- El águila se eleva sobre las montañas.The eagle soars above the mountains.
- Los pájaros pueden elevarse con el viento.The birds can soar with the wind.
- El águila comenzó a elevarse sobre el valle.The eagle began to soar above the valley.
- Vimos al planeador elevarse sin esfuerzo.We saw the glider soar effortlessly.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are watching birds in a park.
- SofíaMira cómo ese pájaro comienza a elevarse.Look how that bird begins to soar.
- MateoEs increíble lo alto que llega.It's incredible how high it gets.
- SofíaParece que no hace ningún esfuerzo.It seems like it makes no effort.
- MateoSí, simplemente se deja llevar por el aire.Yes, it simply lets itself be carried by the air.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry elevarse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
