How to Say "to burst" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to burst” is “estallar” — use 'estallar' when referring to something bursting or exploding suddenly, often with a loud noise, like a balloon, a pipe, or even something more abstract like laughter or anger..
estallar
/es-ta-yar//es.taˈʎaɾ/
Examples
El globo estalló con un ruido fuerte.
The balloon burst with a loud noise.
La bomba estalló a medianoche, causando mucho pánico.
The bomb exploded at midnight, causing a lot of panic.
El globo estalló cuando lo infló demasiado.
The balloon burst when he inflated it too much.
Regular -AR Verb
Estallar is a straightforward regular verb, meaning its endings follow the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.
explotar
eks-plo-TAR/eks.ploˈtaɾ/
Examples
La rueda explotó después de chocar contra la roca.
The tire exploded after hitting the rock.
La bomba explotó en el edificio abandonado.
The bomb exploded in the abandoned building.
El neumático explotó por la presión del aire.
The tire burst due to the air pressure.
Vimos que el volcán estaba a punto de explotar.
We saw that the volcano was about to erupt (explode).
Using 'explotar' as an event
When 'explotar' describes a sudden event, like a bomb going off, it usually works like other action verbs: 'El gas explotó' (The gas exploded).
Estallar vs. Explotar
Related Translations
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