Aterrorizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aterrorizar means “to terrify” 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. Aterrorizar means to terrify, and it is a strong verb for extreme fear: a film terrifies children, a storm terrifies a village, a threat terrifies a family. It is stronger than asustar, and it is used for fear that paralyses. 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 aterrorizar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aterrorizar present tense page.

aterrorizar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película. — I terrify the children with the film.
  2. Él/Ella aterroriza al pueblo con la tormenta. — He terrifies the village with the storm.
  3. Nosotros/as aterrorizamos a la familia con amenazas. — We terrify the family with threats.
  4. Ellos/as aterrorizan a los pasajeros con el ruido. — They terrify the passengers with the noise.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aterroricé a la familia con amenazas. — Yesterday, I terrified the family with threats.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aterrorizábamos a los pasajeros con el ruido. — Before, We used to terrify the passengers with the noise.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aterrorizó a los niños con la película. — Yesterday, He terrified the children with the film.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aterrorizaban al pueblo con la tormenta. — As children, They used to terrify the village with the storm.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aterrorizarás a los niños con la película. — Tomorrow, You will terrify the children with the film.
  2. Yo aterrorizaría al pueblo con la tormenta. — I would terrify the village with the storm.
  3. Espero que él aterrorice a la familia con amenazas. — I hope he terrifies the family with threats.
  4. Él/Ella ha aterrorizado a los pasajeros con el ruido. — He has terrified the passengers with the noise.

aterrorizar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aterrorizas a los niños con la película mañana? — Are you going to terrify the children with the film tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película todos los días. — Yes, I terrify the children with the film every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aterrorizarás al pueblo con la tormenta? — And tomorrow, will you terrify the village with the storm? Luis: Claro, mañana aterrorizaré al pueblo con la tormenta sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will terrify the village with the storm without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aterrorizaré a la familia con amenazas también. — Perfect. I will terrify the family with threats too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aterroricé a la familia con amenazas. — Yesterday, I terrified the family with threats. Ana: ¿Y antes aterrorizabas a los pasajeros con el ruido? — And before, did you use to terrify the passengers with the noise? Luis: Sí, antes aterrorizaba a los pasajeros con el ruido todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to terrify the passengers with the noise every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aterrorizaron a los niños con la película? — And did your brothers terrified the children with the film? Luis: Sí, ellos aterrorizaron a los niños con la película por la tarde. — Yes, they terrified the children with the film in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aterroriza a los niños con la película. — Right: Yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película. — The person matters: aterroriza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aterrorizo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo aterrorizé a la familia con amenazas. — Right: Ayer, yo aterroricé a la familia con amenazas. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is aterroricé, never aterrorizé.
  3. Wrong: Treating aterrorizar and asustar as identical in every context. — Right: Aterrorizar means to terrify, while asustar means to frighten someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aterrorizar fits sentences such as Aterrorizo a los niños con la película, while asustar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy aterrorizado al pueblo con la tormenta. — Right: Yo he aterrorizado al pueblo con la tormenta. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aterrorizado, has aterrorizado, ha aterrorizado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo aterroricé a la familia con amenazas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aterrorizaba a la familia con amenazas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aterrorizaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aterroricé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a los pasajeros con el ruido. (present tense) A. aterrorizan B. aterrorizo C. aterrorizas D. aterroriza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a los niños con la película. (preterite tense) A. aterroricé B. aterrorizaste C. aterrorizó D. aterrorizamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al pueblo con la tormenta. (imperfect tense) A. aterrorizábamos B. aterrorizabais C. aterrorizabas D. aterrorizaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a la familia con amenazas. (future tense) A. aterrorizaremos B. aterrorizará C. aterrorizaré D. aterrorizarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a los pasajeros con el ruido. (conditional tense) A. aterrorizaríamos B. aterrorizaría C. aterrorizarías D. aterrorizaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a los niños con la película. (present-perfect tense) A. has aterrorizado B. ha aterrorizado C. hemos aterrorizado D. he aterrorizado

  7. What does aterrorizar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to terrify D. to frighten someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aterroricé a la familia con amenazas. B. Yo aterroriza a los niños con la película. C. Yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película. D. Él/Ella aterroriza al pueblo con la tormenta.

  9. Which is the gerund of aterrorizar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aterrorizando B. aterrorizado C. aterrorizo D. aterroricé

  10. Which is the past participle of aterrorizar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aterrorizando B. aterrorizo C. aterroricé D. aterrorizado

Answer key

  1. aterrorizan — The correct form here is aterrorizan.
  2. aterrorizamos — The correct form here is aterrorizamos.
  3. aterrorizabas — The correct form here is aterrorizabas.
  4. aterrorizará — The correct form here is aterrorizará.
  5. aterrorizaríamos — The correct form here is aterrorizaríamos.
  6. he aterrorizado — The correct form here is he aterrorizado.
  7. to terrify — Aterrorizar means to terrify. Asustar means to frighten someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aterroriza a los niños con la película. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película.. The person matters: aterroriza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aterrorizo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aterrorizando — The gerund of aterrorizar is aterrorizando: estoy aterrorizando.
  10. aterrorizado — The past participle of aterrorizar is aterrorizado: he aterrorizado, has aterrorizado, ha aterrorizado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aterrorizar mean?

Aterrorizar means to terrify. Aterrorizar means to terrify, and it is a strong verb for extreme fear: a film terrifies children, a storm terrifies a village, a threat terrifies a family. It is stronger than asustar, and it is used for fear that paralyses.

When do people use aterrorizar most?

People use aterrorizar most in everyday situations such as Yo aterrorizo a los niños con la película. and Ayer, Yo aterroricé a la familia con amenazas.. 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 aterrorizar and asustar?

Aterrorizar means to terrify, while asustar means to frighten someone. 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 aterrorizar?

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

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