How much light a plant can take depends on the kind of plant. If you go to a nursery or a hardware store that sells plants, the plants are often labeled as "Full sun" or "shade" or "semi-shade" or something like that. Different plants need different amounts of light. If a plant needs "full sun" but is given "shade," it may not necessarily die, but will probably not grow well. If a plant that wants "shade" is put in "full sun" it will probably burn over time and die.