Ausentarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ausentarse means “to be absent” 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. Ausentarse means to be absent, and it is the reflexive, formal verb for being away from work, from class or from a meeting: you are absent for a week, you leave the office for an hour. It takes de for the place, as in ausentarse del trabajo. 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 ausentarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ausentarse present tense page.

ausentarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — I am absent from work for a week.
  2. Él/Ella se ausenta de clase por enfermedad. — He is absent from class through illness.
  3. Nosotros/as nos ausentamos de la reunión una hora. — We are absent from the meeting for an hour.
  4. Ellos/as se ausentan de la ciudad el fin de semana. — They are absent from the city for the weekend.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo me ausenté de la reunión una hora. — Yesterday, I was absent from the meeting for an hour.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos ausentábamos de la ciudad el fin de semana. — Before, We used to be absent from the city for the weekend.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se ausentó del trabajo por una semana. — Yesterday, He was absent from work for a week.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se ausentaban de clase por enfermedad. — As children, They used to be absent from class through illness.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú te ausentarás del trabajo por una semana. — Tomorrow, You will be absent from work for a week.
  2. Yo me ausentaría de clase por enfermedad. — I would be absent from class through illness.
  3. Espero que él se ausente de la reunión una hora. — I hope he is absent from the meeting for an hour.
  4. Él/Ella se ha ausentado de la ciudad el fin de semana. — He has been absent from the city for the weekend.

ausentarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te ausentas del trabajo por una semana mañana? — Are you going to be absent from work for a week tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana todos los días. — Yes, I am absent from work for a week every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te ausentarás de clase por enfermedad? — And tomorrow, will you be absent from class through illness? Luis: Claro, mañana me ausentaré de clase por enfermedad sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will be absent from class through illness without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me ausentaré de la reunión una hora también. — Perfect. I will be absent from the meeting for an hour 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 ausenté de la reunión una hora. — Yesterday, I was absent from the meeting for an hour. Ana: ¿Y antes te ausentabas de la ciudad el fin de semana? — And before, did you use to be absent from the city for the weekend? Luis: Sí, antes me ausentaba de la ciudad el fin de semana todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to be absent from the city for the weekend every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se ausentaron del trabajo por una semana? — And did your brothers was absent from work for a week? Luis: Sí, ellos se ausentaron del trabajo por una semana por la tarde. — Yes, they was absent from work for a week in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ausento del trabajo por una semana. — Right: Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. — Ausentarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating ausentarse and faltar as identical in every context. — Right: Ausentarse means to be absent, while faltar means to be missing or absent. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: ausentarse fits sentences such as Me ausento del trabajo por una semana, while faltar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy ausentado de clase por enfermedad. — Right: Yo he ausentado de clase por enfermedad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ausentado, has ausentado, ha ausentado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo ausenté de la reunión una hora todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo ausentaba de la reunión una hora todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ausentaba), not the preterite. The preterite (ausenté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de la ciudad el fin de semana. (present tense) A. se ausentan B. me ausento C. te ausentas D. se ausenta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ del trabajo por una semana. (preterite tense) A. me ausenté B. te ausentaste C. se ausentó D. nos ausentamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de clase por enfermedad. (imperfect tense) A. se ausentaba B. nos ausentábamos C. te ausentabas D. me ausentaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ de la reunión una hora. (future tense) A. nos ausentaremos B. se ausentará C. me ausentaré D. te ausentarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de la ciudad el fin de semana. (conditional tense) A. nos ausentaríamos B. me ausentaría C. te ausentarías D. se ausentaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ del trabajo por una semana. (present-perfect tense) A. te has ausentado B. se ha ausentado C. nos hemos ausentado D. me he ausentado

  7. What does ausentarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to be absent D. to be missing or absent

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me ausenté de la reunión una hora. B. Yo ausento del trabajo por una semana. C. Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. D. Él/Ella se ausenta de clase por enfermedad.

  9. Which is the gerund of ausentarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. ausentando B. ausentado C. ausento D. ausenté

  10. Which is the past participle of ausentarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ausentando B. ausento C. ausenté D. ausentado

Answer key

  1. se ausentan — The correct form here is se ausentan.
  2. nos ausentamos — The correct form here is nos ausentamos.
  3. te ausentabas — The correct form here is te ausentabas.
  4. se ausentará — The correct form here is se ausentará.
  5. nos ausentaríamos — The correct form here is nos ausentaríamos.
  6. me he ausentado — The correct form here is me he ausentado.
  7. to be absent — Ausentarse means to be absent. Faltar means to be missing or absent, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo ausento del trabajo por una semana. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana.. Ausentarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. ausentando — The gerund of ausentarse is ausentando: estoy ausentando.
  10. ausentado — The past participle of ausentarse is ausentado: he ausentado, has ausentado, ha ausentado.

Frequently asked questions

What does ausentarse mean?

Ausentarse means to be absent. Ausentarse means to be absent, and it is the reflexive, formal verb for being away from work, from class or from a meeting: you are absent for a week, you leave the office for an hour. It takes de for the place, as in ausentarse del trabajo.

When do people use ausentarse most?

People use ausentarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me ausento del trabajo por una semana. and Ayer, Yo me ausenté de la reunión una hora.. 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 ausentarse and faltar?

Ausentarse means to be absent, while faltar means to be missing or absent. 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 ausentarse?

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

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