Avergonzar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, avergonzar 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 avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos, and in the preterite you say avergoncé al equipo con mi error. 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: avergonzar
  • English: to shame, to embarrass
  • Verb type: stem-changing and spelling-changing verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: avergonzando
  • Past participle: avergonzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + avergonzado)
  • Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for avergonzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Avergonzar is a spelling-changing verb: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is avergoncé and the subjunctive is avergüence.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for avergonzar. 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 Form
yo avergüenzo
tú avergüenzas
él/ella/Ud. avergüenza
nosotros/as avergonzamos
vosotros/as avergonzáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergüenzan

Preterite

Person Form
yo avergoncé
tú avergonzaste
él/ella/Ud. avergonzó
nosotros/as avergonzamos
vosotros/as avergonzasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergonzaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo avergonzaba
tú avergonzabas
él/ella/Ud. avergonzaba
nosotros/as avergonzábamos
vosotros/as avergonzabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergonzaban

Future

Person Form
yo avergonzaré
tú avergonzarás
él/ella/Ud. avergonzará
nosotros/as avergonzaremos
vosotros/as avergonzaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergonzarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo avergonzaría
tú avergonzarías
él/ella/Ud. avergonzaría
nosotros/as avergonzaríamos
vosotros/as avergonzaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergonzarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he avergonzado
tú has avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. ha avergonzado
nosotros/as hemos avergonzado
vosotros/as habéis avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han avergonzado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había avergonzado
tú habías avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. había avergonzado
nosotros/as habíamos avergonzado
vosotros/as habíais avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían avergonzado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré avergonzado
tú habrás avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. habrá avergonzado
nosotros/as habremos avergonzado
vosotros/as habréis avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán avergonzado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría avergonzado
tú habrías avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. habría avergonzado
nosotros/as habríamos avergonzado
vosotros/as habríais avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían avergonzado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo avergüence
tú avergüences
él/ella/Ud. avergüence
nosotros/as avergoncemos
vosotros/as avergoncéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergüencen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo avergonzara
tú avergonzaras
él/ella/Ud. avergonzara
nosotros/as avergonzáramos
vosotros/as avergonzarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergonzaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú avergüenza
él/ella/Ud. avergüence
nosotros/as avergoncemos
vosotros/as avergonzad
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergüencen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú avergüences
él/ella/Ud. avergüence
nosotros/as avergoncemos
vosotros/as avergoncéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. avergüencen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund avergonzando with estar for the progressive: estoy avergonzando
Past participle avergonzado with haber for the perfect tenses: he avergonzado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the present is stem-changing (o → üe after g in the stressed forms), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For avergonzar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. 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. Note the spelling change here: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is avergoncé, never avergonzé. For avergonzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, avergoncé a mi madre con mis notas. 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 avergonzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, avergonzaba al equipo con mi error. 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 avergonzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, avergonzaré a mi amigo en público. 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 avergonzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Avergonzaría a mi hermano delante de todos 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 avergonzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he avergonzado a mi madre con mis notas. 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 avergonzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había avergonzado al equipo con mi error 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 avergonzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré avergonzado a mi amigo en público. 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 avergonzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría avergonzado a mi hermano delante de todos 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 present subjunctive is stem-changing (o → üe after g, except nosotros/vosotros), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For avergonzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él avergüence a mi madre con mis notas. 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 avergonzar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él avergonzara al equipo con mi error, 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 imperative is stem-changing (o → üe after g in the formal forms), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For avergonzar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡avergüenza a mi amigo en público! 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 imperative is stem-changing (o → üe after g in the formal forms), so the forms follow the standard endings on the changed stem. For avergonzar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No avergüences a mi hermano delante de todos. 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 avergonzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. — I embarrass my brother in front of everyone.
  2. Avergüenza a mi madre con mis notas. — He/she embarrasses my mother with my marks.
  3. Ayer, avergoncé al equipo con mi error. — Yesterday, I embarrassed the team with my mistake.
  4. Antes, nosotros avergonzábamos a mi amigo en público. — Before, we used to embarrass my friend in public.
  5. Mañana, tú avergonzarás a mi hermano delante de todos. — Tomorrow, you will embarrass my brother in front of everyone.
  6. Yo avergonzaría a mi madre con mis notas si tuviera más tiempo. — I would embarrass my mother with my marks if I had more time.
  7. Él ha avergonzado al equipo con mi error. — He has embarrassed the team with my mistake.
  8. Espero que él avergüence a mi amigo en público. — I hope he embarrasses my friend in public.
  9. Yo ya había avergonzado a mi hermano delante de todos antes de salir. — I had already embarrassed my brother in front of everyone before leaving.
  10. Ellos avergonzaban a mi madre con mis notas cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to embarrass my mother with my marks when they were young.

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hermano delante de todos. (present tense) A. avergüenzo B. avergüenzas C. avergüenza D. avergonzamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a mi madre con mis notas. (preterite) A. avergoncé B. avergonzaste C. avergonzaron D. avergonzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al equipo con mi error. (imperfect) A. avergonzabas B. avergonzaban C. avergonzábamos D. avergonzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a mi amigo en público. (future) A. avergonzaremos B. avergonzarás C. avergonzaré D. avergonzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hermano delante de todos si pudiera. (conditional) A. avergonzaría B. avergonzarías C. avergonzarían D. avergüenzo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mi madre con mis notas. (present subjunctive) A. avergüences B. avergoncemos C. avergüenzo D. avergüence

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al equipo con mi error, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. avergonzáramos B. avergüenzo C. avergonzara D. avergonzaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a mi amigo en público. (present perfect) A. han avergonzado B. hemos avergonzado C. he avergonzado D. has avergonzado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a mi hermano delante de todos! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. avergüenza B. avergüence C. avergoncemos D. avergonzad

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

Answer key

  1. avergüenzo — The first-person present of avergonzar is avergüenzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. avergonzó — The third-person preterite of avergonzar is avergonzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. avergonzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of avergonzar is avergonzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. avergonzarás — The second-person future of avergonzar is avergonzarás.
  5. avergonzaría — The first-person conditional of avergonzar is avergonzaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. avergüence — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of avergonzar is avergüence.
  7. avergonzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of avergonzar is avergonzara.
  8. hemos avergonzado — The nosotros present perfect of avergonzar is hemos avergonzado: hemos + avergonzado.
  9. avergüenza — The affirmative tú imperative of avergonzar is avergüenza.
  10. avergonzando — The gerund of avergonzar is avergonzando: estoy avergonzando. The participle avergonzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does avergonzar mean in English?

Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass. It is used in everyday situations such as Avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is avergonzar regular or irregular?

Avergonzar is a stem-changing and spelling-changing verb: the stem vowel changes o → üe after g in the stressed present forms (avergüenzo, avergüence), and the spelling changes z → c before e (avergoncé). The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -ar verbs.

What is the difference between avergonzar and avergonzarse?

Avergonzar means to shame, to embarrass, while avergonzarse means to be ashamed yourself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use avergonzar when you mean to shame, to embarrass, as in Avergüenzo a mi hermano delante de todos, and use avergonzarse for to be ashamed yourself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I shame” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo avergoncé a mi madre con mis notas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo avergonzaba al equipo con mi error. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he avergonzado a mi madre con mis notas.

How do I practise avergonzar?

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

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