Avergonzarse Example Sentences and Quiz

avergonzarse means “to be ashamed” 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. Avergonzarse means to be ashamed, and it is the reflexive partner of avergonzar: you are ashamed of a mistake, of your marks, of your behaviour. It takes de for the cause, as in avergonzarse de un error, and it is a verb of embarrassment and regret. 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 avergonzarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the avergonzarse present tense page.

avergonzarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público. — I am ashamed of my mistake in public.
  2. Él/Ella se avergüenza de mis notas del examen. — He is ashamed of my exam marks.
  3. Nosotros/as nos avergonzamos de mi comportamiento ayer. — We are ashamed of my behaviour yesterday.
  4. Ellos/as se avergüenzan de mi familia en la fiesta. — They are ashamed of my family at the party.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. — Yesterday, I was ashamed of my behaviour yesterday.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos avergonzábamos de mi familia en la fiesta. — Before, We used to be ashamed of my family at the party.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se avergonzó de mi error en público. — Yesterday, He was ashamed of my mistake in public.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se avergonzaban de mis notas del examen. — As children, They used to be ashamed of my exam marks.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú te avergonzarás de mi error en público. — Tomorrow, You will be ashamed of my mistake in public.
  2. Yo me avergonzaría de mis notas del examen. — I would be ashamed of my exam marks.
  3. Espero que él se avergüence de mi comportamiento ayer. — I hope he is ashamed of my behaviour yesterday.
  4. Él/Ella se ha avergonzado de mi familia en la fiesta. — He has been ashamed of my family at the party.

avergonzarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te avergüenzas de mi error en público mañana? — Are you going to be ashamed of my mistake in public tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público todos los días. — Yes, I am ashamed of my mistake in public every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te avergonzarás de mis notas del examen? — And tomorrow, will you be ashamed of my exam marks? Luis: Claro, mañana me avergonzaré de mis notas del examen sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will be ashamed of my exam marks without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me avergonzaré de mi comportamiento ayer también. — Perfect. I will be ashamed of my behaviour yesterday 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 avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. — Yesterday, I was ashamed of my behaviour yesterday. Ana: ¿Y antes te avergonzabas de mi familia en la fiesta? — And before, did you use to be ashamed of my family at the party? Luis: Sí, antes me avergonzaba de mi familia en la fiesta todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to be ashamed of my family at the party every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se avergonzaron de mi error en público? — And did your brothers was ashamed of my mistake in public? Luis: Sí, ellos se avergonzaron de mi error en público por la tarde. — Yes, they was ashamed of my mistake in public in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo avergüenzo de mi error en público. — Right: Yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público. — Avergonzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo me avergonzé de mi comportamiento ayer. — Right: Ayer, yo me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. — Spelling change: z becomes c before e, so the preterite is me avergoncé, never me avergonzé.
  3. Wrong: Treating avergonzarse and avergonzar as identical in every context. — Right: Avergonzarse means to be ashamed, while avergonzar means to embarrass someone else. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: avergonzarse fits sentences such as Me avergüenzo de mi error en público, while avergonzar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy avergonzado de mis notas del examen. — Right: Yo he avergonzado de mis notas del examen. — 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 de mi comportamiento ayer todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo avergonzaba de mi comportamiento ayer 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 avergonzarse in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de mi familia en la fiesta. (present tense) A. se avergüenzan B. me avergüenzo C. te avergüenzas D. se avergüenza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ de mi error en público. (preterite tense) A. me avergoncé B. te avergonzaste C. se avergonzó D. nos avergonzamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de mis notas del examen. (imperfect tense) A. se avergonzaba B. nos avergonzábamos C. te avergonzabas D. me avergonzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ de mi comportamiento ayer. (future tense) A. nos avergonzaremos B. se avergonzará C. me avergonzaré D. te avergonzarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de mi familia en la fiesta. (conditional tense) A. nos avergonzaríamos B. me avergonzaría C. te avergonzarías D. se avergonzaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ de mi error en público. (present-perfect tense) A. te has avergonzado B. se ha avergonzado C. nos hemos avergonzado D. me he avergonzado

  7. What does avergonzarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to be ashamed D. to embarrass someone else

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. B. Yo avergüenzo de mi error en público. C. Yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público. D. Él/Ella se avergüenza de mis notas del examen.

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

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

Answer key

  1. se avergüenzan — The correct form here is se avergüenzan.
  2. nos avergonzamos — The correct form here is nos avergonzamos.
  3. te avergonzabas — The correct form here is te avergonzabas.
  4. se avergonzará — The correct form here is se avergonzará.
  5. nos avergonzaríamos — The correct form here is nos avergonzaríamos.
  6. me he avergonzado — The correct form here is me he avergonzado.
  7. to be ashamed — Avergonzarse means to be ashamed. Avergonzar means to embarrass someone else, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo avergüenzo de mi error en público. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público.. Avergonzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. avergonzando — The gerund of avergonzarse is avergonzando: estoy avergonzando.
  10. avergonzado — The past participle of avergonzarse is avergonzado: he avergonzado, has avergonzado, ha avergonzado.

Frequently asked questions

What does avergonzarse mean?

Avergonzarse means to be ashamed. Avergonzarse means to be ashamed, and it is the reflexive partner of avergonzar: you are ashamed of a mistake, of your marks, of your behaviour. It takes de for the cause, as in avergonzarse de un error, and it is a verb of embarrassment and regret.

When do people use avergonzarse most?

People use avergonzarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me avergüenzo de mi error en público. and Ayer, Yo me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer.. 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 avergonzarse and avergonzar?

Avergonzarse means to be ashamed, while avergonzar means to embarrass someone else. 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 avergonzarse?

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

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