Alarmar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

alarmar means “to alarm” 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. Alarmar means to alarm, to frighten someone with worrying news or a warning. It is used for news, sounds and situations that cause fear, 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 alarmar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the alarmar present tense page.

alarmar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido. — “I alarm the neighbours with the noise.”
  2. Él alarma a la población con la noticia. — “He alarms the population with the news.”
  3. Nosotros alarmamos a su familia con el mensaje. — “We alarm his family with the message.”
  4. Ellos alarman a los pasajeros con la alarma. — “They alarm the passengers with the alarm.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo alarmé a la población con la noticia. — “Yesterday, I alarmed the population with the news.”
  2. Antes, nosotros alarmábamos a su familia con el mensaje. — “Before, we used to alarm his family with the message.”
  3. Él alarmó a los pasajeros con la alarma. — “He alarmed the passengers with the alarm.”
  4. Yo ya había alarmado a los vecinos con el ruido antes de salir. — “I had already alarmed the neighbours with the noise before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú alarmarás a los vecinos con el ruido. — “Tomorrow, you will alarm the neighbours with the noise.”
  2. Yo alarmaría a la población con la noticia si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would alarm the population with the news if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha alarmado a su familia con el mensaje. — “He has alarmed his family with the message.”
  4. Espero que él alarme a los pasajeros con la alarma. — “I hope he alarms the passengers with the alarm.”

alarmar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use alarmar 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 alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido. — “I alarm the neighbours with the noise.”
  • Bea: Él alarma a la población con la noticia. — “He alarms the population with the news.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo alarmé a la población con la noticia. — “Yesterday, I alarmed the population with the news.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú alarmarás a los vecinos con el ruido. — “Tomorrow, you will alarm the neighbours with the noise.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros alarmamos a su familia con el mensaje. — “We alarm his family with the message.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros alarmábamos a su familia con el mensaje. — “Before, we used to alarm his family with the message.”
  • Luis: Yo alarmaría a la población con la noticia si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would alarm the population with the news if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él alarme a los pasajeros con la alarma. — “I hope he alarms the passengers with the alarm.”

A short scene with alarmar

A short scene shows how alarmar works across the day. In the morning: Alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido. In the afternoon: Alarma a la población con la noticia. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, alarmé a su familia con el mensaje. And tomorrow: Mañana, alarmaré a los pasajeros con la alarma. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how alarmar 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 alarmar

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

✗ Yo alarma a los vecinos con el ruido.

✓ Correct: Yo alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido.

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

✗ Ayer yo alarmo a la población con la noticia.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo alarmé a la población con la noticia.

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

✗ Treating alarmar and asustar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Alarmar means to alarm, while asustar means to frighten.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alarmar fits sentences such as Alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido, while asustar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy alarmado a la población con la noticia.

✓ Correct: Yo he alarmado a la población con la noticia.

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

✗ De niño, yo alarmé a su familia con el mensaje todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo alarmaba a su familia con el mensaje todos los días.

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

Quiz: alarmar in use

Ten questions on alarmar — 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 la población con la noticia. — “He/she alarms the population with the news.”

  • a) alarma
  • b) alarmo
  • c) alarmas
  • d) alarmamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a su familia con el mensaje. — “Yesterday, I alarmed his family with the message.”

  • a) alarmaste
  • b) alarmó
  • c) alarmaron
  • d) alarmé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a los pasajeros con la alarma cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to alarm the passengers with the alarm when they were young.”

  • a) alarmabas
  • b) alarmábamos
  • c) alarmaban
  • d) alarmaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a los vecinos con el ruido. — “Tomorrow, we will alarm the neighbours with the noise.”

  • a) alarmarán
  • b) alarmaremos
  • c) alarmaré
  • d) alarmarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la población con la noticia si pudiera. — “He would alarm the population with the news if he could.”

  • a) alarmaría
  • b) alarmarías
  • c) alarmaríamos
  • d) alarmo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su familia con el mensaje. — “I have alarmed his family with the message.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a los pasajeros con la alarma. — “I hope you alarm the passengers with the alarm.”

  • a) alarmemos
  • b) alarmo
  • c) alarmes
  • d) alarme

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

  • a) alarmé
  • b) alarmado
  • c) alarmando
  • d) alarmo

9. What does alarmar mean in English?

  • a) to alarm
  • b) to frighten
  • c) to allege, to claim
  • d) to alert

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él alarma a la población con la noticia.
  • b) Él alarmo a la población con la noticia.
  • c) Nosotros alarma a su familia con el mensaje.
  • d) Yo alarma a los vecinos con el ruido.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to alarm — alarmar means to alarm. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él alarma a la población con la noticia. — Él alarma a la población con la noticia. 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 alarmar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Alarmo a los vecinos con el ruido and Alarma a la población con la noticia. 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 alarmar and asustar?

Alarmar means “to alarm”, while asustar means “to frighten”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use alarmar when you mean “to alarm” and asustar when you mean “to frighten”.

Which tense do I need most with alarmar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use alarmar 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 alarmar formal or informal?

Alarmar 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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