Asustarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

asustarse means “to get frightened” 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. Asustarse means to get frightened, and it is the reflexive verb for being scared: you get frightened by a noise, by a dog, by a film, by bad news. It takes de or con for the cause, as in asustarse de un ruido, and it is an everyday verb of fear. 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 asustarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the asustarse present tense page.

asustarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with asustarse in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche. — I get frightened at the noise in the night.
  2. Él/Ella se asusta del perro del vecino. — He gets frightened of the neighbour's dog.
  3. Nosotros/as nos asustamos con la película de terror. — We get frightened at the horror film.
  4. Ellos/as se asustan de la noticia por teléfono. — They get frightened at the news on the phone.

In the past

Four sentences with asustarse in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo me asusté con la película de terror. — Yesterday, I got frightened at the horror film.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos asustábamos de la noticia por teléfono. — Before, We used to get frightened at the news on the phone.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se asustó con el ruido de la noche. — Yesterday, He got frightened at the noise in the night.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se asustaban del perro del vecino. — As children, They used to get frightened of the neighbour's dog.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with asustarse in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú te asustarás con el ruido de la noche. — Tomorrow, You will get frightened at the noise in the night.
  2. Yo me asustaría del perro del vecino. — I would get frightened of the neighbour's dog.
  3. Espero que él se asuste con la película de terror. — I hope he gets frightened at the horror film.
  4. Él/Ella se ha asustado de la noticia por teléfono. — He has got frightened at the news on the phone.

asustarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te asustas con el ruido de la noche mañana? — Are you going to get frightened at the noise in the night tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche todos los días. — Yes, I get frightened at the noise in the night every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te asustarás del perro del vecino? — And tomorrow, will you get frightened of the neighbour's dog? Luis: Claro, mañana me asustaré del perro del vecino sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will get frightened of the neighbour's dog without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me asustaré con la película de terror también. — Perfect. I will get frightened at the horror film too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer me asusté con la película de terror. — Yesterday, I got frightened at the horror film. Ana: ¿Y antes te asustabas de la noticia por teléfono? — And before, did you use to get frightened at the news on the phone? Luis: Sí, antes me asustaba de la noticia por teléfono todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to get frightened at the news on the phone every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se asustaron con el ruido de la noche? — And did your brothers got frightened at the noise in the night? Luis: Sí, ellos se asustaron con el ruido de la noche por la tarde. — Yes, they got frightened at the noise in the night in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo asusto con el ruido de la noche. — Right: Yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche. — Asustarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating asustarse and atemorizarse as identical in every context. — Right: Asustarse means to get frightened, while atemorizarse means to become afraid. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: asustarse fits sentences such as Me asusto con el ruido de la noche, while atemorizarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy asustado del perro del vecino. — Right: Yo he asustado del perro del vecino. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he asustado, has asustado, ha asustado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo asusté con la película de terror todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo asustaba con la película de terror todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (asustaba), not the preterite. The preterite (asusté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on asustarse in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de la noticia por teléfono. (present tense) A. se asustan B. me asusto C. te asustas D. se asusta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ con el ruido de la noche. (preterite tense) A. me asusté B. te asustaste C. se asustó D. nos asustamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ del perro del vecino. (imperfect tense) A. se asustaba B. nos asustábamos C. te asustabas D. me asustaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ con la película de terror. (future tense) A. nos asustaremos B. se asustará C. me asustaré D. te asustarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de la noticia por teléfono. (conditional tense) A. nos asustaríamos B. me asustaría C. te asustarías D. se asustaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ con el ruido de la noche. (present-perfect tense) A. te has asustado B. se ha asustado C. nos hemos asustado D. me he asustado

  7. What does asustarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to get frightened D. to become afraid

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me asusté con la película de terror. B. Yo asusto con el ruido de la noche. C. Yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche. D. Él/Ella se asusta del perro del vecino.

  9. Which is the gerund of asustarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. asustando B. asustado C. asusto D. asusté

  10. Which is the past participle of asustarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. asustando B. asusto C. asusté D. asustado

Answer key

  1. se asustan — The correct form here is se asustan.
  2. nos asustamos — The correct form here is nos asustamos.
  3. te asustabas — The correct form here is te asustabas.
  4. se asustará — The correct form here is se asustará.
  5. nos asustaríamos — The correct form here is nos asustaríamos.
  6. me he asustado — The correct form here is me he asustado.
  7. to get frightened — Asustarse means to get frightened. Atemorizarse means to become afraid, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo asusto con el ruido de la noche. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche.. Asustarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. asustando — The gerund of asustarse is asustando: estoy asustando.
  10. asustado — The past participle of asustarse is asustado: he asustado, has asustado, ha asustado.

Frequently asked questions

What does asustarse mean?

Asustarse means to get frightened. Asustarse means to get frightened, and it is the reflexive verb for being scared: you get frightened by a noise, by a dog, by a film, by bad news. It takes de or con for the cause, as in asustarse de un ruido, and it is an everyday verb of fear.

When do people use asustarse most?

People use asustarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me asusto con el ruido de la noche. and Ayer, Yo me asusté con la película de terror.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between asustarse and atemorizarse?

Asustarse means to get frightened, while atemorizarse means to become afraid. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of asustarse?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of asustarse as your reference, the asustarse present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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