Asustarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb asustarse means to get frightened, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, asustarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me asusto con el ruido de la noche, and in the preterite you say me asusté con la película de terror. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: asustarse
  • English: to get frightened
  • Verb type: reflexive regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: asustando
  • Past participle: asustado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + asustado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for asustarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Asustarse is reflexive: me asusto, te asustas. Without the pronoun, asustar means to frighten someone else.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for asustarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asusto
tú te asustas
él/ella/Ud. se asusta
nosotros/as nos asustamos
vosotros/as os asustáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asusté
tú te asustaste
él/ella/Ud. se asustó
nosotros/as nos asustamos
vosotros/as os asustasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asustaba
tú te asustabas
él/ella/Ud. se asustaba
nosotros/as nos asustábamos
vosotros/as os asustabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asustaré
tú te asustarás
él/ella/Ud. se asustará
nosotros/as nos asustaremos
vosotros/as os asustaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asustaría
tú te asustarías
él/ella/Ud. se asustaría
nosotros/as nos asustaríamos
vosotros/as os asustaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he asustado
tú te has asustado
él/ella/Ud. se ha asustado
nosotros/as nos hemos asustado
vosotros/as os habéis asustado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han asustado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había asustado
tú te habías asustado
él/ella/Ud. se había asustado
nosotros/as nos habíamos asustado
vosotros/as os habíais asustado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían asustado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré asustado
tú te habrás asustado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá asustado
nosotros/as nos habremos asustado
vosotros/as os habréis asustado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán asustado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría asustado
tú te habrías asustado
él/ella/Ud. se habría asustado
nosotros/as nos habríamos asustado
vosotros/as os habríais asustado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían asustado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asuste
tú te asustes
él/ella/Ud. se asuste
nosotros/as nos asustemos
vosotros/as os asustéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asusten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me asustara
tú te asustaras
él/ella/Ud. se asustara
nosotros/as nos asustáramos
vosotros/as os asustarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asustaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te asusta
él/ella/Ud. se asuste
nosotros/as nos asustemos
vosotros/as os asustad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asusten

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te asustes
él/ella/Ud. se asuste
nosotros/as nos asustemos
vosotros/as os asustéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se asusten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund asustando with estar for the progressive: estoy asustando (with the pronoun attached: asustándose)
Past participle asustado with haber for the perfect tenses: he asustado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me asusto con el ruido de la noche. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me asusté del perro del vecino. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me asustaba con la película de terror. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me asustaré de la noticia por teléfono. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me asustaría con el ruido de la noche si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he asustado del perro del vecino. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había asustado con la película de terror antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré asustado de la noticia por teléfono. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría asustado con el ruido de la noche con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se asuste del perro del vecino. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se asustara con la película de terror, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se asuste de la noticia por teléfono. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asustarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te asustes con el ruido de la noche. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with asustarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me asusto con el ruido de la noche. — I get frightened at the noise in the night.
  2. Se asusta del perro del vecino. — He/she gets frightened of the neighbour's dog.
  3. Ayer, me asusté con la película de terror. — Yesterday, I got frightened at the horror film.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos asustábamos de la noticia por teléfono. — Before, we used to get frightened at the news on the phone.
  5. Mañana, tú te asustarás con el ruido de la noche. — Tomorrow, you will get frightened at the noise in the night.
  6. Yo me asustaría del perro del vecino si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get frightened of the neighbour's dog if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha asustado con la película de terror. — He has got frightened at the horror film.
  8. Espero que él se asuste de la noticia por teléfono. — I hope he gets frightened at the news on the phone.
  9. Yo ya me había asustado con el ruido de la noche antes de salir. — I had already got frightened at the noise in the night before leaving.
  10. Ellos se asustaban del perro del vecino cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get frightened of the neighbour's dog when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el ruido de la noche. (present tense) A. me asusto B. te asustas C. se asusta D. nos asustamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ del perro del vecino. (preterite) A. me asusté B. te asustaste C. se asustaron D. se asustó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con la película de terror. (imperfect) A. te asustabas B. se asustaban C. nos asustábamos D. me asustaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de la noticia por teléfono. (future) A. nos asustaremos B. te asustarás C. me asustaré D. se asustará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con el ruido de la noche si pudiera. (conditional) A. me asustaría B. te asustarías C. se asustaría D. se asustarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ del perro del vecino. (present subjunctive) A. me asuste B. te asustes C. nos asustemos D. se asuste

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con la película de terror, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se asustara B. nos asustáramos C. me asustara D. te asustaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de la noticia por teléfono. (present perfect) A. se han asustado B. nos hemos asustado C. me he asustado D. te has asustado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ con el ruido de la noche. (negative imperative, tú) A. te asustes B. se asuste C. nos asustemos D. os asustéis

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

Answer key

  1. me asusto — The first-person present of asustarse is me asusto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se asustó — The third-person preterite of asustarse is se asustó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos asustábamos — The nosotros imperfect of asustarse is nos asustábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te asustarás — The second-person future of asustarse is te asustarás.
  5. me asustaría — The first-person conditional of asustarse is me asustaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se asuste — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of asustarse is se asuste.
  7. me asustara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of asustarse is me asustara.
  8. nos hemos asustado — The nosotros present perfect of asustarse is nos hemos asustado: hemos + asustado.
  9. te asustes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te asustes.
  10. asustando — The gerund of asustarse is asustando: estoy asustando. The participle asustado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does asustarse mean in English?

Asustarse means to get frightened. It is used in everyday situations such as Me asusto con el ruido de la noche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is asustarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Asustarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me asusto con el ruido de la noche and él se asusta del perro del vecino. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between asustarse and atemorizarse?

Asustarse means to get frightened, while atemorizarse means to become afraid. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use asustarse when you mean to get frightened, as in Me asusto con el ruido de la noche, and use atemorizarse for to become afraid. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I get frightened” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me asusté del perro del vecino. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me asustaba con la película de terror. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he asustado del perro del vecino.

How do I practise asustarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the asustarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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