Avergonzar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

avergonzar means “to shame, to embarrass” 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. Avergonzar means to shame or to embarrass, and it is the transitive verb for making someone feel ashamed: you embarrass your brother in front of everyone, a bad mark embarrasses a student. Its reflexive partner avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself, and the two are a classic pair. 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 avergonzar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the avergonzar present tense page.

avergonzar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. — I embarrass my brother in front of everyone.
  2. Él/Ella avergüenza a mi madre con mis notas. — He embarrasses my mother with my marks.
  3. Nosotros/as avergonzamos al equipo con mi error. — We embarrass the team with my mistake.
  4. Ellos/as avergüenzan a mi amigo en público. — They embarrass my friend in public.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo avergoncé al equipo con mi error. — Yesterday, I embarrassed the team with my mistake.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as avergonzábamos a mi amigo en público. — Before, We used to embarrass my friend in public.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella avergonzó a mi hermano delante de todos. — Yesterday, He embarrassed my brother in front of everyone.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as avergonzaban a mi madre con mis notas. — As children, They used to embarrass my mother with my marks.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú avergonzarás a mi hermano delante de todos. — Tomorrow, You will embarrass my brother in front of everyone.
  2. Yo avergonzaría a mi madre con mis notas. — I would embarrass my mother with my marks.
  3. Espero que él avergüence al equipo con mi error. — I hope he embarrasses the team with my mistake.
  4. Él/Ella ha avergonzado a mi amigo en público. — He has embarrassed my friend in public.

avergonzar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú avergüenzas a mi hermano delante de todos mañana? — Are you going to embarrass my brother in front of everyone tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos todos los días. — Yes, I embarrass my brother in front of everyone every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana avergonzarás a mi madre con mis notas? — And tomorrow, will you embarrass my mother with my marks? Luis: Claro, mañana avergonzaré a mi madre con mis notas sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will embarrass my mother with my marks without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo avergonzaré al equipo con mi error también. — Perfect. I will embarrass the team with my mistake too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer avergoncé al equipo con mi error. — Yesterday, I embarrassed the team with my mistake. Ana: ¿Y antes avergonzabas a mi amigo en público? — And before, did you use to embarrass my friend in public? Luis: Sí, antes avergonzaba a mi amigo en público todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to embarrass my friend in public every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos avergonzaron a mi hermano delante de todos? — And did your brothers embarrassed my brother in front of everyone? Luis: Sí, ellos avergonzaron a mi hermano delante de todos por la tarde. — Yes, they embarrassed my brother in front of everyone in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo avergüenza a mi hermano delante de todos. — Right: Yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. — The person matters: avergüenza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is avergüenzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo avergonzé al equipo con mi error. — Right: Ayer, yo avergoncé al equipo con mi error. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is avergoncé, never avergonzé.
  3. Wrong: Treating avergonzar and avergonzarse as identical in every context. — Right: Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass, while avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: avergonzar fits sentences such as Avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos, while avergonzarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy avergonzado a mi madre con mis notas. — Right: Yo he avergonzado a mi madre con mis notas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he avergonzado, has avergonzado, ha avergonzado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo avergoncé al equipo con mi error todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo avergonzaba al equipo con mi error todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (avergonzaba), not the preterite. The preterite (avergoncé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi amigo en público. (present tense) A. avergüenzan B. avergüenzo C. avergüenzas D. avergüenza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a mi hermano delante de todos. (preterite tense) A. avergoncé B. avergonzaste C. avergonzó D. avergonzamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a mi madre con mis notas. (imperfect tense) A. avergonzábamos B. avergonzabais C. avergonzabas D. avergonzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ al equipo con mi error. (future tense) A. avergonzaremos B. avergonzará C. avergonzaré D. avergonzarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi amigo en público. (conditional tense) A. avergonzaríamos B. avergonzaría C. avergonzarías D. avergonzaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a mi hermano delante de todos. (present-perfect tense) A. has avergonzado B. ha avergonzado C. hemos avergonzado D. he avergonzado

  7. What does avergonzar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to shame, to embarrass D. to be ashamed yourself

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo avergoncé al equipo con mi error. B. Yo avergüenza a mi hermano delante de todos. C. Yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. D. Él/Ella avergüenza a mi madre con mis notas.

  9. Which is the gerund of avergonzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. avergonzando B. avergonzado C. avergüenzo D. avergoncé

  10. Which is the past participle of avergonzar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. avergonzando B. avergüenzo C. avergoncé D. avergonzado

Answer key

  1. avergüenzan — The correct form here is avergüenzan.
  2. avergonzamos — The correct form here is avergonzamos.
  3. avergonzabas — The correct form here is avergonzabas.
  4. avergonzará — The correct form here is avergonzará.
  5. avergonzaríamos — The correct form here is avergonzaríamos.
  6. he avergonzado — The correct form here is he avergonzado.
  7. to shame, to embarrass — Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass. Avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo avergüenza a mi hermano delante de todos. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos.. The person matters: avergüenza is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is avergüenzo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. avergonzando — The gerund of avergonzar is avergonzando: estoy avergonzando.
  10. avergonzado — The past participle of avergonzar is avergonzado: he avergonzado, has avergonzado, ha avergonzado.

Frequently asked questions

What does avergonzar mean?

Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass. Avergonzar means to shame or to embarrass, and it is the transitive verb for making someone feel ashamed: you embarrass your brother in front of everyone, a bad mark embarrasses a student. Its reflexive partner avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself, and the two are a classic pair.

When do people use avergonzar most?

People use avergonzar most in everyday situations such as Yo avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. and Ayer, Yo avergoncé al equipo con mi error.. 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 avergonzar and avergonzarse?

Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass, while avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself. 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 avergonzar?

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

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