burlarse
verbCEFR B2
What does “burlarse” mean in English?
to mock, to make fun of
to mock, to make fun of (burlarse de alguien — make jokes at someone's expense; treat with ridicule)
Example sentences
Se burlaba constantemente de sus compañeros para ocultar su propia inseguridad ante el grupo.
He constantly mocked his classmates to hide his own insecurity in front of the group.
No está bien burlarse de los errores de los demás cuando todos somos susceptibles de equivocarnos.
It is not right to mock others' mistakes when we are all susceptible to making them.
La novela se burla con ironía de las convenciones sociales de la burguesía del siglo XIX.
The novel mockingly pokes fun at the social conventions of the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie.
How to use it
Burlarse (de) means 'to mock', 'to make fun of', or 'to poke fun at'. It is always reflexive and takes the preposition de: burlarse de alguien (mock someone). The noun is la burla (mockery, joke at someone's expense). At B2, it is important in interpersonal, social, and literary contexts. Don't confuse with reírse de (laugh at — can be gentle, affectionate) or ridiculizar (ridicule — stronger, implies public humiliation). Burlarse is typically unkind but not always extreme.
Common mistake
Burlarse de (mock) always needs the reflexive se and the preposition de — never *burlarse a. Also: la burla (the act of mockery) and burlarse de alguien (to mock someone). Don't confuse with tomar el pelo a alguien (pull someone's leg — playful, affectionate teasing) vs. burlarse de alguien (mock — often unkind).