Entristecer Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
entristecer means "to sadden" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows entristecer in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of entristecer, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with entristecer
Something saddens you
Entristecer usually works like gustar: me entristece la película means the film makes me sad. The sad thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me entristece la película triste. — "Every day, the sad film makes me sad."
- Hoy, le entristece la noticia de su marcha. — "Today, the news of his departure makes him sad."
- Ayer, me entristecieron las fotos antiguas. — "Yesterday, the old photos saddened me."
- Antes, me entristecía la canción melancólica. — "Before, the melancholy song used to sadden me."
- Mañana, me entristecerá la película triste. — "Tomorrow, the sad film will sadden me."
- Hoy, me ha entristecido la noticia de su marcha. — "Today, the news of his departure has saddened me."
Becoming sad
Entristecer also has a reflexive use: me entristezco means I become sad. The two structures look similar, but the grammar is different.
- Cada día, me entristecen las fotos antiguas. — "Every day, the old photos make me sad."
- Hoy, le entristece la canción melancólica. — "Today, the melancholy song makes him sad."
- Ayer, me entristeció la película triste. — "Yesterday, the sad film saddened me."
- Antes, me entristecía la noticia de su marcha. — "Before, the news of his departure used to sadden me."
- Mañana, me entristecerán las fotos antiguas. — "Tomorrow, the old photos will sadden me."
- Hoy, me ha entristecido la canción melancólica. — "Today, the melancholy song has saddened me."
Entristecer in conversation
The two dialogues below show entristecer in natural conversation. The first is about something saddens you, and the second is about becoming sad. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te entristece la película triste? — "Does the sad film sadden you?"
- Sí, me entristece la película triste mucho. — "The sad film makes me sad a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te entristeció la noticia de su marcha? — "And yesterday? Did the news of his departure saddened you?"
- Sí, ayer me entristeció la noticia de su marcha mucho. — "Yesterday, the news of his departure saddened me a lot."
- Mañana me entristecerán las fotos antiguas también. — "Tomorrow, the old photos will sadden me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os entristecen las fotos antiguas? — "Does the old photos sadden you?"
- Sí, nos entristecen las fotos antiguas mucho. — "The old photos make us sad a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les entristece la canción melancólica? — "And them? Does the melancholy song sadden them?"
- Sí, les entristece la canción melancólica también. — "The melancholy song makes them sad. too."
- Mañana nos entristecerán las fotos antiguas otra vez. — "Tomorrow, the old photos will sadden us. again."
Common mistakes with entristecer in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo entristeco la película.
- Right: Me entristece la película.
- Why: Two errors here: the yo form is entristezco, with a z, and the structure is gustar-like, so say me entristece la película.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me entristece las fotos.
- Right: Me entristecen las fotos.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las fotos is plural, so the verb must be entristecen.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Entristecer es lo mismo que estar triste.
- Right: Entristecer means to make sad; estar triste means to be sad.
- Why: Entristecer describes the cause: the film makes you sad. Estar triste describes the state that follows.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me entristeció la película triste.
- Right: Cada día, me entristece la película triste.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo entristezco la película triste.
- Right: Me entristece la película triste.
- Why: Entristecer works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: entristecer in use
Ten questions on entristecer across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) le entristece
- (b) nos entristece
- (c) me entristece
- (d) te entristece
Answer: (c) me entristece. The i form in the present is me entristece.
2. What is the he / she form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) nos entristece
- (b) le entristece
- (c) me entristece
- (d) te entristece
Answer: (b) le entristece. The he / she form in the present is le entristece.
3. What is the he / she form of entristecer in the preterite tense?
- (a) le entristeció
- (b) me entristeció
- (c) te entristeció
- (d) nos entristeció
Answer: (a) le entristeció. The he / she form in the preterite is le entristeció.
4. What is the i form of entristecer in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me entristece
- (b) me entristeció
- (c) me entristecerá
- (d) me entristecía
Answer: (d) me entristecía. The i form in the imperfect is me entristecía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of entristecer in the future tense?
- (a) le entristecerá
- (b) nos entristecerá
- (c) me entristecerá
- (d) te entristecerá
Answer: (c) me entristecerá. The i form in the future is me entristecerá.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) entristecí
- (b) entristecía
- (c) entristezco
- (d) he entristecido
Answer: (d) he entristecido. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he entristecido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la película triste.
- (a) entristecía
- (b) entristezca
- (c) entristece
- (d) entristeció
Answer: (b) entristezca. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te entristezca. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) me entristece
- (b) te entristece
- (c) le entristece
- (d) nos entristece
Answer: (d) nos entristece. The we form in the present is nos entristece.
9. What is the i form of entristecer in the preterite tense?
- (a) le entristeció
- (b) nos entristeció
- (c) me entristeció
- (d) te entristeció
Answer: (c) me entristeció. The i form in the preterite is me entristeció.
10. What is the they form of entristecer in the present tense?
- (a) le entristece
- (b) les entristece
- (c) me entristece
- (d) te entristece
Answer: (b) les entristece. The they form in the present is les entristece.
Frequently asked questions about entristecer
Why does the yo form have a z: entristezco?
Because -ecer verbs change c to zc before o: entristezco, ofrezco, agradezco. It keeps the soft c sound, and it is a spelling change, not an irregularity.
What is the difference between me entristece and me entristezco?
Me entristece la película means the film makes me sad; the film is the subject. Me entristezco means I become sad; you are the subject.
Is entristecer regular?
Almost. It is a regular -er verb with the -zc- spelling change in the yo form: entristezco. All other present forms are regular.
How can I practise entristecer?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.