Asustar Present Tense in Spanish
Introduction
asustar means "to frighten" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for asustar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, me asusta la oscuridad. — "Every day, the darkness frightens me." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of asustar: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | asusto |
| Tú | asustas |
| Él / Ella | asusta |
| Nosotros | asustamos |
| Vosotros | asustáis |
| Ellos | asustan |
The gerund of asustar is asustando and the past participle is asustado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy asustando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he asustado).
How the present tense of asustar is formed
The present tense of asustar is built from the stem asust- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo asusto, tú asustas, él asusta, nosotros asustamos, vosotros asustáis and ellos asustan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
In everyday use, asustar usually works like gustar: the thing that produces the feeling is the subject of the sentence, and you are the indirect object. So you say me asusta la oscuridad — literally, the thing is the subject and you are the person it affects — rather than starting with yo. The verb agrees with the thing, not with you: one thing takes the singular form asusta, and several things take the plural form asustan. The full table above still matters, because the transitive use (for example, asustar a alguien) uses the ordinary persons.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is asustando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy asustando. The past participle is asustado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he asustado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with asustar
1. Darkness and storms
Me asusta la oscuridad is the sentence every child knows. The darkness is the subject, and you are the person it frightens, which is why Spanish says me asusta and not yo asusto. For example: Me asusta la oscuridad. — "The darkness frightens me."
2. Horror films
Me asustan las películas de terror shows the plural agreement. Las películas is plural, so the verb is asustan. It is the standard way to say a film scared you. For example: Te asustan los truenos de la tormenta. — "The thunder of the storm frighten you."
3. Being frightened by animals
Me asusta el perro grande shows the verb with a concrete, visible subject. It is a common sentence for children and for anyone who is nervous around large dogs. For example: Le asustan las películas de terror. — "Horror films frighten him."
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example, to talk about tomorrow's plan you can use the future — Mañana, me asustará el perro grande. — "Tomorrow, the big dog will frighten me." — but in conversation you will also hear the present used the same way.
5. General truths and routines
Finally, the present tense states general truths and routines: what usually happens, what is always true, what people normally do. It is the tense of habits and of facts that do not belong to one moment. For example: Normalmente, le asusta la oscuridad. — "Normally, the darkness frightens him."
Present vs preterite: asustar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with asustar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, me asusta la oscuridad. — "Every day, the darkness frightens me."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me asustó la oscuridad. — "Yesterday, the darkness frightened me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, me asustan los truenos de la tormenta. — "Every day, the thunder of the storm frighten me."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me asustaron los truenos de la tormenta. — "Yesterday, the thunder of the storm frightened me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, me asustan las películas de terror. — "Every day, horror films frighten me."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, me asustaron las películas de terror. — "Yesterday, horror films frightened me."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: asustar in the present tense
These six sentences show asustar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Me asusta la oscuridad. — "The darkness frightens me."
- Te asustan los truenos de la tormenta. — "The thunder of the storm frighten you."
- Le asustan las películas de terror. — "Horror films frighten him."
- Nos asusta el perro grande. — "The big dog frightens us."
- Os asusta la oscuridad. — "The darkness frightens you."
- Les asustan los truenos de la tormenta. — "The thunder of the storm frighten them."
Common mistakes with asustar in the present tense
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: Ayer, me asusta la oscuridad.
- Right: Ayer, me asustó la oscuridad.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite. The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Me asustais la oscuridad.
- Right: Me asustáis la oscuridad.
- Why: The form is asustáis, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the present tense of asustar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of asustar. 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) asusto
- (b) asustas
- (c) asusta
- (d) asustamos
Answer: (a) asusto. The i form is asusto. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) asusto
- (b) asusta
- (c) asustamos
- (d) asustas
Answer: (d) asustas. The you form is asustas. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) asustas
- (b) asustamos
- (c) asusta
- (d) asusto
Answer: (c) asusta. The he / she form is asusta. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) asusta
- (b) asustamos
- (c) asusto
- (d) asustas
Answer: (b) asustamos. The we form is asustamos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of asustar in the present tense?
- (a) asustan
- (b) asusto
- (c) asustas
- (d) asusta
Answer: (a) asustan. The they form is asustan. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, me ___ la oscuridad.
- (a) asustó
- (b) asustaba
- (c) asusta
- (d) asustan
Answer: (c) asusta. The sentence needs the third-person form asusta (Every day, the darkness frightens me.)
7. What is the gerund of asustar?
- (a) asustado
- (b) asustar
- (c) asusta
- (d) asustando
Answer: (d) asustando. The gerund is asustando, used for the progressive: estoy asustando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Cada día, me asustan los truenos de la tormenta.
- (b) Antes, me asustaban los truenos de la tormenta.
- (c) Ayer, me asustaron los truenos de la tormenta.
- (d) Mañana, me asustarán los truenos de la tormenta.
Answer: (a) Cada día, me asustan los truenos de la tormenta.. Cada día, me asustan los truenos de la tormenta. (Every day, the thunder of the storm frighten me.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, me asustaron los truenos de la tormenta. is a single completed action, and Mañana, me asustarán los truenos de la tormenta. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of 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.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with asustar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, me asusta la oscuridad. — "Every day, the darkness frightens me." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, me asustó la oscuridad. — "Yesterday, the darkness frightened me." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.