ilustrar

to illustrate

ilustrar(ee-loos-trahr)

transitive verb

1. (fine arts)

a. to illustrate

El famoso pintor ilustró las obras de varios escritores mexicanos.

The famous painter has illustrated works by several Mexican writers.

2. (to clarify)

a. to illustrate

Todos los conferenciantes utilizaron diapositivas para ilustrar sus explicaciones.

All the lecturers used slides to illustrate their explanations.

b. to exemplify

Este caso en concreto ilustra bien la situación por la que atraviesa el país.

This case in particular exemplifies well the situation the country is going through.

c. to explain

Ahora quisiera ponerles un ejemplo que ilustra cómo funciona esta idea en la práctica.

Now I'd like to give you an example that explains how this idea works in practice.

3. (to teach or inform)

a. to instruct

Las cosas funcionaban así: el maestro estaba allí para ilustrar a sus alumnos, que se limitaban a escuchar y callar.

Things went like this: the teacher was there to instruct his pupils, who just listened to him in silence.

b. to enlighten

Yo no acabo de entender qué relación hay entre las dos cosas. ¿Me puedes ilustrar, por favor?

I cannot quite understand the relationship between the two things. Please enlighten me.

ilustrarse

pronominal verb

4. (to learn)

a. to acquire knowledge

El escritor es autodidacta y se ilustró solo a base de leer todo lo que caía en sus manos.

The writer is self-taught, and he has acquired all his knowledge by reading everything that fell into his hands.