Brillar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of brillar — “to shine” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for brillar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Brillar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Brillo en el escenario.
Present tense conjugation table: brillar
Every person of brillar in the present tense. The gerund is brillando and the past participle is brillado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | brillo |
| tú | brillas |
| él/ella/Ud. | brilla |
| nosotros/as | brillamos |
| vosotros/as | brilláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | brillan |
How the present of brillar is formed
The present of brillar is built from the stem brill- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | brillo |
| tú | -as | brillas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | brilla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | brillamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | brilláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | brillan |
For brillar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem brill- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with brillar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo brillo en el escenario. — I shine on stage.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella brilla con luz propia. — He shines with your own light.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as brillamos en la oscuridad de la noche. — Right now, We shine in the darkness of the night.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú brillas más que las estrellas. — Tomorrow, You shine more than the stars.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella brilla en el escenario. — He shines on stage.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with brillar.
- Yo brillo en el escenario. — I shine on stage. / Ayer, Yo brillé en el escenario. — Yesterday, I shone on stage.
- Yo brillo con luz propia. — I shine with your own light. / Ayer, Yo brillé con luz propia. — Yesterday, I shone with your own light.
- Yo brillo en la oscuridad de la noche. — I shine in the darkness of the night. / Ayer, Yo brillé en la oscuridad de la noche. — Yesterday, I shone in the darkness of the night.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with brillar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo brillo en el escenario. — I shine on stage.
- Tú brillas con luz propia. — You shine with your own light.
- Él/Ella brilla en la oscuridad de la noche. — He shines in the darkness of the night.
- Nosotros/as brillamos más que las estrellas. — We shine more than the stars.
- Vosotros/as brilláis en el escenario. — You shine on stage.
- Ellos/as brillan con luz propia. — They shine with your own light.
- Yo brillo en la oscuridad de la noche. — I shine in the darkness of the night.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo brillo con luz propia. — Right: Ayer, yo brillé con luz propia. — With ayer, use the preterite (brillé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using brillar where resplandecer belongs. — Right: Brillar means to shine, while resplandecer means to shine brightly, the literary synonym. — Check the meaning before you choose: brillar fits Brillo en el escenario.
- Wrong: Espero que él brilla con luz propia. — Right: Espero que él brille con luz propia. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: brille, not the present indicative brilla.
Quiz: the present tense of brillar
Eight questions on the present tense of brillar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el escenario. (present tense, yo) A. brillo B. brillas C. brilla D. brillamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ con luz propia. (present tense, tú) A. brillo B. brilla C. brillamos D. brillas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ en la oscuridad de la noche. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. brillas B. brillamos C. brilla D. brillo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ más que las estrellas. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. brilla B. brillamos C. brillo D. brillas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ en el escenario. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. brilláis B. brillo C. brillas D. brilla
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ con luz propia. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. brillo B. brillas C. brilla D. brillan
Which is the gerund of brillar? A. brillo B. brillé C. brillando D. brillado
Which is the past participle of brillar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. brillé B. brillado C. brillando D. brillo
Answer key
- brillo — The yo present form of brillar is brillo.
- brillas — The tú present form of brillar is brillas.
- brilla — The él/ella/Ud. present form of brillar is brilla.
- brillamos — The nosotros/as present form of brillar is brillamos.
- brilláis — The vosotros/as present form of brillar is brilláis.
- brillan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of brillar is brillan.
- brillando — The gerund of brillar is brillando: estoy brillando.
- brillado — The past participle of brillar is brillado: he brillado, has brillado, ha brillado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of brillar formed?
Take the infinitive brillar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem brill-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of brillar is fully regular: the stem brill- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of brillar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Brillo en el escenario.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of brillar?
The present (brillo) and the preterite (brillé) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of brillar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of brillar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the brillar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Brillar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for brillar.
- Brillar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for brillar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.