Avergonzarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb avergonzarse means to be ashamed, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, avergonzarse 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 me avergüenzo de mi error en público, and in the preterite you say me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. 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: avergonzarse
  • English: to be ashamed
  • Verb type: reflexive stem-changing and spelling-changing verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: avergonzando
  • Past participle: avergonzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + avergonzado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • 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 avergonzarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Avergonzarse is reflexive: the pronoun is part of the meaning — you are ashamed yourself. The spelling change z to c applies in the preterite: me avergoncé.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for avergonzarse. 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 Pronoun Form
yo me avergüenzo
tú te avergüenzas
él/ella/Ud. se avergüenza
nosotros/as nos avergonzamos
vosotros/as os avergonzáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergüenzan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergoncé
tú te avergonzaste
él/ella/Ud. se avergonzó
nosotros/as nos avergonzamos
vosotros/as os avergonzasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergonzaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergonzaba
tú te avergonzabas
él/ella/Ud. se avergonzaba
nosotros/as nos avergonzábamos
vosotros/as os avergonzabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergonzaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergonzaré
tú te avergonzarás
él/ella/Ud. se avergonzará
nosotros/as nos avergonzaremos
vosotros/as os avergonzaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergonzarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergonzaría
tú te avergonzarías
él/ella/Ud. se avergonzaría
nosotros/as nos avergonzaríamos
vosotros/as os avergonzaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergonzarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he avergonzado
tú te has avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. se ha avergonzado
nosotros/as nos hemos avergonzado
vosotros/as os habéis avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han avergonzado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había avergonzado
tú te habías avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. se había avergonzado
nosotros/as nos habíamos avergonzado
vosotros/as os habíais avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían avergonzado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré avergonzado
tú te habrás avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá avergonzado
nosotros/as nos habremos avergonzado
vosotros/as os habréis avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán avergonzado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría avergonzado
tú te habrías avergonzado
él/ella/Ud. se habría avergonzado
nosotros/as nos habríamos avergonzado
vosotros/as os habríais avergonzado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían avergonzado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergüence
tú te avergüences
él/ella/Ud. se avergüence
nosotros/as nos avergoncemos
vosotros/as os avergoncéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergüencen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me avergonzara
tú te avergonzaras
él/ella/Ud. se avergonzara
nosotros/as nos avergonzáramos
vosotros/as os avergonzarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergonzaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te avergüenza
él/ella/Ud. se avergüence
nosotros/as nos avergoncemos
vosotros/as os avergonzad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergüencen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te avergüences
él/ella/Ud. se avergüence
nosotros/as nos avergoncemos
vosotros/as os avergoncéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se avergüencen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund avergonzando with estar for the progressive: estoy avergonzando (with the pronoun attached: avergonzándose)
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 avergonzarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me avergüenzo de mi error en público. 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 me avergoncé, never me avergonzé. For avergonzarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me avergoncé de mis notas del examen. 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 avergonzarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me avergonzaba de mi comportamiento ayer. 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 avergonzarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me avergonzaré de mi familia en la fiesta. 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 avergonzarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me avergonzaría de mi error en público 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 avergonzarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he avergonzado de mis notas del examen. 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 avergonzarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había avergonzado de mi comportamiento ayer 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 avergonzarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré avergonzado de mi familia en la fiesta. 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 avergonzarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría avergonzado de mi error en público 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 avergonzarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se avergüence de mis notas del examen. 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 avergonzarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se avergonzara de mi comportamiento ayer, 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 avergonzarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se avergüence de mi familia en la fiesta. 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 avergonzarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te avergüences de mi error en público. 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 avergonzarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me avergüenzo de mi error en público. — I am ashamed of my mistake in public.
  2. Se avergüenza de mis notas del examen. — He/she is ashamed of my exam marks.
  3. Ayer, me avergoncé de mi comportamiento ayer. — Yesterday, I was ashamed of my behaviour yesterday.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos avergonzábamos de mi familia en la fiesta. — Before, we used to be ashamed of my family at the party.
  5. Mañana, tú te avergonzarás de mi error en público. — Tomorrow, you will be ashamed of my mistake in public.
  6. Yo me avergonzaría de mis notas del examen si tuviera más tiempo. — I would be ashamed of my exam marks if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha avergonzado de mi comportamiento ayer. — He has been ashamed of my behaviour yesterday.
  8. Espero que él se avergüence de mi familia en la fiesta. — I hope he is ashamed of my family at the party.
  9. Yo ya me había avergonzado de mi error en público antes de salir. — I had already been ashamed of my mistake in public before leaving.
  10. Ellos se avergonzaban de mis notas del examen cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to be ashamed of my exam marks when they were young.

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de mi error en público. (present tense) A. me avergüenzo B. te avergüenzas C. se avergüenza D. nos avergonzamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de mis notas del examen. (preterite) A. me avergoncé B. te avergonzaste C. se avergonzaron D. se avergonzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ de mi comportamiento ayer. (imperfect) A. te avergonzabas B. se avergonzaban C. nos avergonzábamos D. me avergonzaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de mi familia en la fiesta. (future) A. nos avergonzaremos B. te avergonzarás C. me avergonzaré D. se avergonzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de mi error en público si pudiera. (conditional) A. me avergonzaría B. te avergonzarías C. se avergonzaría D. se avergonzarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de mis notas del examen. (present subjunctive) A. me avergüence B. te avergüences C. nos avergoncemos D. se avergüence

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ de mi comportamiento ayer, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se avergonzara B. nos avergonzáramos C. me avergonzara D. te avergonzaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de mi familia en la fiesta. (present perfect) A. se han avergonzado B. nos hemos avergonzado C. me he avergonzado D. te has avergonzado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ de mi error en público. (negative imperative, tú) A. te avergüences B. se avergüence C. nos avergoncemos D. os avergoncéis

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

Answer key

  1. me avergüenzo — The first-person present of avergonzarse is me avergüenzo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se avergonzó — The third-person preterite of avergonzarse is se avergonzó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos avergonzábamos — The nosotros imperfect of avergonzarse is nos avergonzábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te avergonzarás — The second-person future of avergonzarse is te avergonzarás.
  5. me avergonzaría — The first-person conditional of avergonzarse is me avergonzaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se avergüence — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of avergonzarse is se avergüence.
  7. me avergonzara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of avergonzarse is me avergonzara.
  8. nos hemos avergonzado — The nosotros present perfect of avergonzarse is nos hemos avergonzado: hemos + avergonzado.
  9. te avergüences — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te avergüences.
  10. avergonzando — The gerund of avergonzarse is avergonzando: estoy avergonzando. The participle avergonzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does avergonzarse mean in English?

Avergonzarse means to be ashamed. It is used in everyday situations such as Me avergüenzo de mi error en público. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is avergonzarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Avergonzarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me avergüenzo de mi error en público and él se avergüenza de mis notas del examen. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between avergonzarse and avergonzar?

Avergonzarse means to be ashamed, while avergonzar means to embarrass someone else. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use avergonzarse when you mean to be ashamed, as in Me avergüenzo de mi error en público, and use avergonzar for to embarrass someone else. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I am ashamed” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me avergoncé de mis notas del examen. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me avergonzaba de mi comportamiento ayer. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he avergonzado de mis notas del examen.

How do I practise avergonzarse?

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

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