Ahuyentar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ahuyentar means “to scare away” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Ahuyentar means to scare away, to frighten an animal or a person so they leave. It is used for birds, dogs, mosquitoes and fears, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of ahuyentar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ahuyentar present tense page.

ahuyentar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto. — “I scare away the birds from the vegetable garden.”
  2. Él ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. — “He scares away the mosquitoes with smoke.”
  3. Nosotros ahuyentamos al perro con un grito. — “We scare away the dog with a shout.”
  4. Ellos ahuyentan los malos pensamientos. — “They scare away bad thoughts.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo ahuyenté a los mosquitos con humo. — “Yesterday, I scared away the mosquitoes with smoke.”
  2. Antes, nosotros ahuyentábamos al perro con un grito. — “Before, we used to scare away the dog with a shout.”
  3. Él ahuyentó los malos pensamientos. — “He scared away bad thoughts.”
  4. Yo ya había ahuyentado a los pájaros del huerto antes de salir. — “I had already scared away the birds from the vegetable garden before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú ahuyentarás a los pájaros del huerto. — “Tomorrow, you will scare away the birds from the vegetable garden.”
  2. Yo ahuyentaría a los mosquitos con humo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would scare away the mosquitoes with smoke if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha ahuyentado al perro con un grito. — “He has scared away the dog with a shout.”
  4. Espero que él ahuyente los malos pensamientos. — “I hope he scares away bad thoughts.”

ahuyentar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use ahuyentar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto. — “I scare away the birds from the vegetable garden.”
  • Bea: Él ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. — “He scares away the mosquitoes with smoke.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo ahuyenté a los mosquitos con humo. — “Yesterday, I scared away the mosquitoes with smoke.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú ahuyentarás a los pájaros del huerto. — “Tomorrow, you will scare away the birds from the vegetable garden.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros ahuyentamos al perro con un grito. — “We scare away the dog with a shout.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros ahuyentábamos al perro con un grito. — “Before, we used to scare away the dog with a shout.”
  • Luis: Yo ahuyentaría a los mosquitos con humo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would scare away the mosquitoes with smoke if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él ahuyente los malos pensamientos. — “I hope he scares away bad thoughts.”

A short scene with ahuyentar

A short scene shows how ahuyentar works across the day. In the morning: Ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto. In the afternoon: Ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, ahuyenté al perro con un grito. And tomorrow: Mañana, ahuyentaré los malos pensamientos. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how ahuyentar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with ahuyentar

The errors learners actually make with ahuyentar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo ahuyenta a los pájaros del huerto.

✓ Correct: Yo ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto.

The person matters: ahuyenta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ahuyento. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo ahuyento a los mosquitos con humo.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo ahuyenté a los mosquitos con humo.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: ahuyento is happening now, while ahuyenté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating ahuyentar and espantar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Ahuyentar means to scare away, while espantar means to frighten away.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: ahuyentar fits sentences such as Ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto, while espantar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy ahuyentado a los mosquitos con humo.

✓ Correct: Yo he ahuyentado a los mosquitos con humo.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ahuyentado, has ahuyentado, ha ahuyentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo ahuyenté al perro con un grito todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo ahuyentaba al perro con un grito todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ahuyentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (ahuyenté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: ahuyentar in use

Ten questions on ahuyentar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a los mosquitos con humo. — “He/she scares away the mosquitoes with smoke.”

  • a) ahuyenta
  • b) ahuyento
  • c) ahuyentas
  • d) ahuyentamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al perro con un grito. — “Yesterday, I scared away the dog with a shout.”

  • a) ahuyentaste
  • b) ahuyentó
  • c) ahuyentaron
  • d) ahuyenté

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ los malos pensamientos cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to scare away bad thoughts when they were young.”

  • a) ahuyentabas
  • b) ahuyentábamos
  • c) ahuyentaban
  • d) ahuyentaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a los pájaros del huerto. — “Tomorrow, we will scare away the birds from the vegetable garden.”

  • a) ahuyentarán
  • b) ahuyentaremos
  • c) ahuyentaré
  • d) ahuyentarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a los mosquitos con humo si pudiera. — “He would scare away the mosquitoes with smoke if he could.”

  • a) ahuyentaría
  • b) ahuyentarías
  • c) ahuyentaríamos
  • d) ahuyento

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al perro con un grito. — “I have scared away the dog with a shout.”

  • a) has ahuyentado
  • b) ha ahuyentado
  • c) han ahuyentado
  • d) he ahuyentado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ los malos pensamientos. — “I hope you scare away bad thoughts.”

  • a) ahuyentemos
  • b) ahuyento
  • c) ahuyentes
  • d) ahuyente

8. Which is the past participle of ahuyentar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) ahuyenté
  • b) ahuyentado
  • c) ahuyentando
  • d) ahuyento

9. What does ahuyentar mean in English?

  • a) to scare away
  • b) to frighten away
  • c) to isolate
  • d) to isolate oneself

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo.
  • b) Él ahuyento a los mosquitos con humo.
  • c) Nosotros ahuyenta al perro con un grito.
  • d) Yo ahuyenta a los pájaros del huerto.

Answer key

  1. a) ahuyenta — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: ahuyenta.

  2. d) ahuyenté — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: ahuyenté, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) ahuyentaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: ahuyentaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) ahuyentaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: ahuyentaremos.

  5. a) ahuyentaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: ahuyentaría.

  6. d) he ahuyentado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he ahuyentado, haber + ahuyentado.

  7. c) ahuyentes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is ahuyentes.

  8. b) ahuyentado — The past participle is ahuyentado: he ahuyentado, has ahuyentado, ha ahuyentado. The gerund ahuyentando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to scare away — ahuyentar means to scare away. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. — Él ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use ahuyentar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Ahuyento a los pájaros del huerto and Ahuyenta a los mosquitos con humo. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between ahuyentar and espantar?

Ahuyentar means “to scare away”, while espantar means “to frighten away”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use ahuyentar when you mean “to scare away” and espantar when you mean “to frighten away”.

Which tense do I need most with ahuyentar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use ahuyentar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is ahuyentar formal or informal?

Ahuyentar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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