How to Say "to flow" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to flow” is “correr” — use this word for liquids, especially water, moving naturally from one place to another, like a stream or river.
correr
koh-REHRkoˈrer
Examples
El agua corre desde la montaña hasta el río.
The water flows from the mountain to the river.
El rumor corrió por toda la oficina en minutos.
The rumor circulated (ran) through the entire office in minutes.
Necesitamos arreglar la tubería porque está corriendo agua.
We need to fix the pipe because water is leaking/running out.
fluir
floo-EERfluˈir
Examples
El agua fluye suavemente por el arroyo.
The water flows gently through the stream.
La sangre fluye por las venas hacia el corazón.
Blood flows through the veins toward the heart.
El tráfico comenzó a fluir después del accidente.
Traffic began to flow after the accident.
Las ideas fluyen mejor cuando no hay distracciones.
Ideas flow better when there are no distractions.
The 'Y' spelling change
For verbs ending in -uir, Spanish adds a 'y' when the 'u' is followed by another vowel (except 'i'). This helps keep the sounds distinct, so 'fluo' becomes 'fluyo'.
Accent marks in the past
In the 'yo' form of the past tense (fluí), the accent on the 'i' is vital to show that you emphasize the end of the word.
Using 'fluir' as a philosophy
In modern Spanish, people use 'fluir' as a standalone verb to mean 'being in the zone' or 'not stressing out'.
Spelling it with 'i'
Mistake: “Él flué.”
Correction: Él fluyó. Because 'u' and 'e' are together, Spanish switches to a 'y' to bridge the gap.
Internet Streaming
Mistake: “Estoy fluyendo la película.”
Correction: Estoy viendo la película en streaming (or 'transmitiendo'). 'Fluir' is not used for digital data streams.
brotar
bro-TARbɾoˈtaɾ
Examples
El agua brota de la fuente con mucha fuerza.
The water gushes forth from the fountain with great force.
Las lágrimas brotaron de sus ojos cuando escuchó la noticia.
Tears flowed from her eyes when she heard the news.
Using 'De'
When saying where the liquid is coming from, always use the word 'de' (from) after brotar.
discurrir
dees-koo-reerdiskuˈrir
Examples
El agua discurre mansamente por el arroyo.
The water flows gently through the stream.
Las horas discurrieron sin que nos diéramos cuenta.
The hours passed by without us noticing.
La vida discurre tranquila en este pueblo.
Life passes by quietly in this town.
A Regular -IR Verb
Even though it looks fancy, 'discurrir' follows the standard patterns for verbs ending in -ir like 'vivir'.
Use with Time
When talking about time passing, 'discurrir' is more poetic and formal than simply using 'pasar'.
Spelling confusion
Mistake: “discurir”
Correction: discurrir (with a double 'rr' to maintain the strong 'r' sound between vowels).
Correr vs. Fluir
Related Translations
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