brillar Preterite Conjugation
brillar — to shine
The preterite of brillar is regular: brillé, brillaste, brilló, brillamos, brillasteis, brillaron.
brillar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when something shone at a specific moment in the past. It is ideal for describing a flash of light or a specific event where someone stood out or 'shone'.
Notes on brillar in the Preterite
Brillar is regular in the preterite. Note that 'brillamos' is the same in both present and preterite; context is key.
Example Sentences
Anoche las estrellas brillaron intensamente.
Last night the stars shone intensely.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Él brilló en el examen final.
He shone in the final exam.
él/ella/usted
Yo brillé en la pista de baile ayer.
I shone on the dance floor yesterday.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'brillé'.
Correct: brillé
Why: Without the accent, the pronunciation and tense change, potentially confusing it with other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: brillo
Brillar is regular in the present: brillo, brillas, brilla, brillamos, brilláis, brillan.
Imperfect
yo: brillaba
The imperfect of brillar uses -aba endings: brillaba, brillabas, brillaba, brillábamos, brillabais, brillaban.
Future
yo: brillaré
The future of brillar adds endings to the infinitive: brillaré, brillarás, brillará, brillaremos, brillaréis, brillarán.
Conditional
yo: brillaría
The conditional of brillar is regular: brillaría, brillarías, brillaría, brillaríamos, brillaríais, brillarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: brille
The present subjunctive of brillar uses -e endings: brille, brilles, brille, brillemos, brilléis, brillen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: brillara
The imperfect subjunctive of brillar uses -ara endings: brillara, brillaras, brillara, brilláramos, brillarais, brillaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: brilla
The imperative of brillar gives commands: brilla (tú), brillad (vosotros), brille (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no brilles
The negative imperative of brillar uses the subjunctive: no brilles, no brille, no brillemos, no brilléis, no brillen.