Asustar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
asustar means "to frighten" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows asustar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of asustar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with asustar
Something frightens you
Asustar usually works like gustar: me asusta la oscuridad means the darkness frightens me. The frightening thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me asusta la oscuridad. — "Every day, the darkness frightens me."
- Hoy, le asustan los truenos de la tormenta. — "Today, the thunder of the storm frighten him."
- Ayer, me asustaron las películas de terror. — "Yesterday, horror films frightened me."
- Antes, me asustaba el perro grande. — "Before, the big dog used to frighten me."
- Mañana, me asustará la oscuridad. — "Tomorrow, the darkness will frighten me."
- Hoy, me han asustado los truenos de la tormenta. — "Today, the thunder of the storm have frightened me."
Frightening someone
Asustar can also mean to frighten someone on purpose: no me asustes means do not frighten me. Here the structure is the ordinary transitive one, with a person as the object.
- Cada día, me asustan las películas de terror. — "Every day, horror films frighten me."
- Hoy, le asusta el perro grande. — "Today, the big dog frightens him."
- Ayer, me asustó la oscuridad. — "Yesterday, the darkness frightened me."
- Antes, me asustaban los truenos de la tormenta. — "Before, the thunder of the storm used to frighten me."
- Mañana, me asustarán las películas de terror. — "Tomorrow, horror films will frighten me."
- Hoy, me ha asustado el perro grande. — "Today, the big dog has frightened me."
Asustar in conversation
The two dialogues below show asustar in natural conversation. The first is about something frightens you, and the second is about frightening someone. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te asusta la oscuridad? — "Does the darkness frighten you?"
- Sí, me asusta la oscuridad mucho. — "The darkness frightens me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te asustaron los truenos de la tormenta? — "And yesterday? Did the thunder of the storm frightened you?"
- Sí, ayer me asustaron los truenos de la tormenta mucho. — "Yesterday, the thunder of the storm frightened me a lot."
- Mañana me asustarán las películas de terror también. — "Tomorrow, horror films will frighten me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os asustan las películas de terror? — "Does horror films frighten you?"
- Sí, nos asustan las películas de terror mucho. — "Horror films frighten us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les asusta el perro grande? — "And them? Does the big dog frighten them?"
- Sí, les asusta el perro grande también. — "The big dog frightens them. too."
- Mañana nos asustarán las películas de terror otra vez. — "Tomorrow, horror films will frighten us. again."
Common mistakes with asustar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo asusto la oscuridad.
- Right: Me asusta la oscuridad.
- Why: When something frightens you, asustar works like gustar: me asusta la oscuridad. Yo asusto would mean I frighten someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me asusta las películas.
- Right: Me asustan las películas.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las películas is plural, so the verb must be asustan.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Asustar es lo mismo que sorprender.
- Right: Asustar means to frighten; sorprender means to surprise.
- Why: A surprise is not necessarily frightening. Asustar is always about fear, and it is a stronger, more negative feeling.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me asustó la oscuridad.
- Right: Cada día, me asusta la oscuridad.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo asusto la oscuridad.
- Right: Me asusta la oscuridad.
- Why: Asustar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: asustar in use
Ten questions on asustar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) le asusta
- (b) nos asusta
- (c) me asusta
- (d) te asusta
Answer: (c) me asusta. The i form in the present is me asusta.
2. What is the he / she form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) nos asusta
- (b) le asusta
- (c) me asusta
- (d) te asusta
Answer: (b) le asusta. The he / she form in the present is le asusta.
3. What is the he / she form of asustar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le asustó
- (b) me asustó
- (c) te asustó
- (d) nos asustó
Answer: (a) le asustó. The he / she form in the preterite is le asustó.
4. What is the i form of asustar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me asusta
- (b) me asustó
- (c) me asustará
- (d) me asustaba
Answer: (d) me asustaba. The i form in the imperfect is me asustaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of asustar in the future tense?
- (a) le asustará
- (b) nos asustará
- (c) me asustará
- (d) te asustará
Answer: (c) me asustará. The i form in the future is me asustará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) asusté
- (b) asustaba
- (c) asusto
- (d) he asustado
Answer: (d) he asustado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he asustado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la oscuridad.
- (a) asustaba
- (b) asuste
- (c) asusta
- (d) asustó
Answer: (b) asuste. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te asuste. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) me asusta
- (b) te asusta
- (c) le asusta
- (d) nos asusta
Answer: (d) nos asusta. The we form in the present is nos asusta.
9. What is the i form of asustar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le asustó
- (b) nos asustó
- (c) me asustó
- (d) te asustó
Answer: (c) me asustó. The i form in the preterite is me asustó.
10. What is the they form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) le asusta
- (b) les asusta
- (c) me asusta
- (d) te asusta
Answer: (b) les asusta. The they form in the present is les asusta.
Frequently asked questions about asustar
Why is it 'me asusta' and not 'yo asusto'?
Because asustar usually works like gustar. The frightening thing is the subject and you are the indirect object: me asusta la oscuridad.
What is the difference between asustar and asustarse?
Me asusta el perro means the dog frightens me. Me asusto means I get frightened. The first is the gustar structure; the second is reflexive.
Is asustar regular?
Yes. Asustar is a regular -ar verb: asusto, asustaste, asustaba, asustaré. The difficulty is the sentence structure, not the forms.
How can I practise asustar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.