alegrar
jazz up ; brighten up ; liven up.
After jazzing up her appearance with a new blonde hairdo, she turns up in his office and talks him into taking her out for a meal.
The flowers will really help brighten up the cemetery when they flower in spring.
Here are ten fun ways to liven up your average train journey.
alegrar la vida a Alguien
brighten up + Posesivo + life
This is a real controversial life story of a man whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.
alegrarle el día a Alguien
brighten up + Posesivo + day
make + Posesivo + day
A mother's grin is valued more than Dad's with 8% of respondents saying she brightened up their day as opposed to 3% for Dad.
Sometimes you can make their day simply by engaging them in a genuine conversation about themselves.
alegrarse
feel + elated
brighten
come to + life
feel + happy
Jeanne Leforte felt tired but elated when the session adjourned.
'And of course,' said the director, brightening as his idea gave birth to another one in her mind, 'it will be interesting to know how efficient electronic systems are at catching thieves'.
Italy, on the other hand, came to life only in the last ten odd minutes of their game against Slovakia.
We even react as though it were all happening to us by feeling sad or happy, frightened or angry, amused or scandalized, and so on.
alegrarse de
be glad (to)
rejoice in
And at worst, if the trip is a flop (it happens!), at least he is glad to get back to work.
I cannot tell you how happy we in the circulation department will all be to put an end once and for all to the smiling delinquent patron who rejoices in paying his fine because he is thereby 'supporting a worthy cause'.
no alegrar
bring no + joy
take no + joy
As teachers, we have to shatter their naivete (because ultimately that is what education ought to be), but it brings no joy to do so.
Make no mistake, I take no joy in seeing peaceful protesters attacked.