Alterarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
alterarse means "to get upset" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see alterarse with the street noise, the exam news, the bus delay and the argument at home — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
alterarse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with alterarse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the exam news." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me alteraba por el retraso del autobús. — "In the past, I used to get upset over the bus delay." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos alteraremos durante la discusión en casa. — "Tomorrow, we will get upset during the argument at home." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te alterarías por el ruido de la calle. — "If you could, you would get upset at the street noise." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he alterado con la noticia del examen. — "I have got upset at the exam news." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se altera por el retraso del autobús. — "Normally, he/she gets upset over the bus delay." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se alteró durante la discusión en casa. — "Yesterday, he/she got upset during the argument at home." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos alterábamos por el ruido de la calle. — "In the past, we used to get upset at the street noise." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me alteraré con la noticia del examen. — "Tomorrow, I will get upset at the exam news." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se altere por el retraso del autobús. — "I hope that he/she gets upset over the bus delay." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te alteres durante la discusión en casa! — "Do not get upset during the argument at home!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using alterarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the street noise, the exam news, the bus delay and the argument at home.
Dialogue 1: talking about the street noise
María: ¿Tú te alteras por el ruido de la calle? — "Do you get upset at the street noise?" Carlos: Sí, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "I get upset at the street noise." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the exam news." María: Mañana, nosotros nos alteraremos por el retraso del autobús. — "Tomorrow, we will get upset over the bus delay." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo me alteraría durante la discusión en casa. — "If I could, I would get upset during the argument at home." María: Antes, yo me alteraba con la noticia del examen. — "In the past, I used to get upset at the exam news." Carlos: Yo me he alterado por el ruido de la calle. — "I have got upset at the street noise." María: ¡No te alteres por el retraso del autobús! — "Do not get upset over the bus delay!"
In this dialogue alterarse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the bus delay
María: Él se altera por el retraso del autobús. — "he/she gets upset over the bus delay." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se altera por el retraso del autobús todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she gets upset over the bus delay every day?" María: Sí, y ellos se alteran durante la discusión en casa. — "they get upset during the argument at home." Carlos: Ayer, ellos se alteraron por el retraso del autobús. — "Yesterday, they got upset over the bus delay." María: Espero que él se altere durante la discusión en casa. — "I hope that he/she gets upset during the argument at home." Carlos: Mañana, él se alterará por el retraso del autobús. — "Tomorrow, he/she will get upset over the bus delay." María: Antes, nosotros nos alterábamos durante la discusión en casa. — "In the past, we used to get upset during the argument at home." Carlos: Nosotros nos alteramos por el ruido de la calle también. — "we get upset at the street noise too."
This dialogue shows alterarse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with alterarse
The errors learners actually make with alterarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo altero por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: alterarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo alterarse por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Yo me altero por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: The infinitive alterarse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form altero.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me altero con la noticia del examen.
- Right: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me alteré con la noticia del examen. — "Yesterday, I got upset at the exam news."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy alterado por el retraso del autobús.
- Right: Me estoy alterando por el retraso del autobús.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund alterando for the progressive. The participle alterado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he alterado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos altera por el ruido de la calle.
- Right: Nosotros nos alteramos por el ruido de la calle.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes alteramos, while altera belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: alterarse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on alterarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) altera
- (b) alteramos
- (c) altero
- (d) alteras
Answer: (c) altero. The yo form is altero.
2. What is the tú form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) alteramos
- (b) alteras
- (c) altero
- (d) altera
Answer: (b) alteras. The tú form is alteras.
3. What is the él/ella form of alterarse in the present tense?
- (a) altera
- (b) altero
- (c) alteras
- (d) alteramos
Answer: (a) altera. The él/ella form is altera.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ por el ruido de la calle.
- (a) alteras
- (b) altera
- (c) alteramos
- (d) altero
Answer: (d) altero. The sentence needs the yo form altero.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ con la noticia del examen.
- (a) alteró
- (b) alteramos
- (c) alteré
- (d) alteraste
Answer: (c) alteré. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is alteré.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ por el retraso del autobús.
- (a) alterabais
- (b) alteraba
- (c) alterabas
- (d) alterábamos
Answer: (b) alteraba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is alteraba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ durante la discusión en casa.
- (a) alteraré
- (b) alterarás
- (c) alterará
- (d) alteraremos
Answer: (a) alteraré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is alteraré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ por el ruido de la calle.
- (a) me he alterado
- (b) te has alterado
- (c) se ha alterado
- (d) nos hemos alterado
Answer: (a) me he alterado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he alterado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por el retraso del autobús.
- (a) alteremos
- (b) alteréis
- (c) altere
- (d) alteres
Answer: (c) altere. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is altere.
10. What does alterarse mean in English?
- (a) to liven up
- (b) to centralise
- (c) to get upset
- (d) to turn green again
Answer: (c) to get upset. alterarse means "to get upset" in English.
Frequently asked questions about alterarse
What does alterarse mean?
alterarse means "to get upset" in English. Use it when you talk about the street noise, the exam news, the bus delay and the argument at home — for example: Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise."
Is alterarse reflexive?
Yes. alterarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with alterarse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo altero por el ruido de la calle — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me altero por el ruido de la calle. — "Every day, I get upset at the street noise." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise alterarse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.