Brillar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

brillar means “to shine” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Brillar means to shine, and it is used for the sun, the stars and lights shining, and figuratively for a person shining on stage or in a competition. It is a regular -ar verb, and it appears in nature, in praise and in idioms such as brillar con luz propia, to shine with your own light. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of brillar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the brillar present tense page.

brillar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with brillar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo brillo en el escenario. — I shine on stage.
  2. Él/Ella brilla con luz propia. — He shines with your own light.
  3. Nosotros/as brillamos en la oscuridad de la noche. — We shine in the darkness of the night.
  4. Ellos/as brillan más que las estrellas. — They shine more than the stars.

In the past

Four sentences with brillar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo brillé en la oscuridad de la noche. — Yesterday, I shone in the darkness of the night.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as brillábamos más que las estrellas. — Before, We used to shine more than the stars.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella brilló en el escenario. — Yesterday, He shone on stage.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as brillaban con luz propia. — As children, They used to shine with your own light.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with brillar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú brillarás en el escenario. — Tomorrow, You will shine on stage.
  2. Yo brillaría con luz propia. — I would shine with your own light.
  3. Espero que él brille en la oscuridad de la noche. — I hope he shines in the darkness of the night.
  4. Él/Ella ha brillado más que las estrellas. — He has shone more than the stars.

brillar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú brillas en el escenario mañana? — Are you going to shine on stage tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo brillo en el escenario todos los días. — Yes, I shine on stage every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana brillarás con luz propia? — And tomorrow, will you shine with your own light? Luis: Claro, mañana brillaré con luz propia sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will shine with your own light without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo brillaré en la oscuridad de la noche también. — Perfect. I will shine in the darkness of the night too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer brillé en la oscuridad de la noche. — Yesterday, I shone in the darkness of the night. Ana: ¿Y antes brillabas más que las estrellas? — And before, did you use to shine more than the stars? Luis: Sí, antes brillaba más que las estrellas todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to shine more than the stars every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos brillaron en el escenario? — And did your brothers shone on stage? Luis: Sí, ellos brillaron en el escenario por la tarde. — Yes, they shone on stage in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo brilla en el escenario. — Right: Yo brillo en el escenario. — The person matters: brilla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is brillo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating brillar and resplandecer as identical in every context. — Right: Brillar means to shine, while resplandecer means to shine brightly, the literary synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: brillar fits sentences such as Brillo en el escenario, while resplandecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy brillado con luz propia. — Right: Yo he brillado con luz propia. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he brillado, has brillado, ha brillado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo brillé en la oscuridad de la noche todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo brillaba en la oscuridad de la noche todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (brillaba), not the preterite. The preterite (brillé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on brillar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ más que las estrellas. (present tense) A. brillan B. brillo C. brillas D. brilla

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ en el escenario. (preterite tense) A. brillé B. brillaste C. brilló D. brillamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ con luz propia. (imperfect tense) A. brillábamos B. brillabais C. brillabas D. brillaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ en la oscuridad de la noche. (future tense) A. brillaremos B. brillará C. brillaré D. brillarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ más que las estrellas. (conditional tense) A. brillaríamos B. brillaría C. brillarías D. brillaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ en el escenario. (present-perfect tense) A. has brillado B. ha brillado C. hemos brillado D. he brillado

  7. What does brillar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to shine D. to shine brightly, the literary synonym

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo brillé en la oscuridad de la noche. B. Yo brilla en el escenario. C. Yo brillo en el escenario. D. Él/Ella brilla con luz propia.

  9. Which is the gerund of brillar, used with estar for the progressive? A. brillando B. brillado C. brillo D. brillé

  10. Which is the past participle of brillar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. brillando B. brillo C. brillé D. brillado

Answer key

  1. brillan — The correct form here is brillan.
  2. brillamos — The correct form here is brillamos.
  3. brillabas — The correct form here is brillabas.
  4. brillará — The correct form here is brillará.
  5. brillaríamos — The correct form here is brillaríamos.
  6. he brillado — The correct form here is he brillado.
  7. to shine — Brillar means to shine. Resplandecer means to shine brightly, the literary synonym, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo brilla en el escenario. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo brillo en el escenario.. The person matters: brilla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is brillo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. brillando — The gerund of brillar is brillando: estoy brillando.
  10. brillado — The past participle of brillar is brillado: he brillado, has brillado, ha brillado.

Frequently asked questions

What does brillar mean?

Brillar means to shine. Brillar means to shine, and it is used for the sun, the stars and lights shining, and figuratively for a person shining on stage or in a competition. It is a regular -ar verb, and it appears in nature, in praise and in idioms such as brillar con luz propia, to shine with your own light.

When do people use brillar most?

People use brillar most in everyday situations such as Yo brillo en el escenario. and Ayer, Yo brillé en la oscuridad de la noche.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between brillar and resplandecer?

Brillar means to shine, while resplandecer means to shine brightly, the literary synonym. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of brillar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of brillar as your reference, the brillar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

Related links