straalt

Straalt is the third-person singular present tense form of the Dutch verb stralen, which means to emit light or rays, to shine, or to radiate. The term covers both literal illumination from a light source and figurative radiance, such as warmth or charisma. For example, De zon straalt vandaag (The sun is shining today) or Zijn enthousiasme straalt uit zijn ogen (His enthusiasm radiates from his eyes).

The related noun straal refers to a beam or ray of light or energy. Common compounds include lichtstraal (light ray) and warmtestraal (beam of warmth). The verb stralen can form the separable prefix verb uitstralen, meaning to radiate or exude, as in Uitstraalt uit zijn houding (He radiates confidence through his posture).

Grammatical notes: stralen is a regular Dutch verb. In the present tense, the form is straalt for hij/zij/het. The past tense forms are straalde (imperfect) and straalden (past imperfect for plural subjects), and the past participle is gestraald, used in perfect tenses such as is gestraald or heeft gestraald, depending on construction. In scientific or technical contexts, a form like gestraald can also mean irradiated.

Usage in context: straalt is common in everyday speech to describe light and mood, but it also appears in literature and journalism to convey vivid imagery. Related contexts include lichtstraal for a specific ray, röntgenstraal for an X-ray, and uitstralen to emphasize the outward radiance of a person or thing.