Entristecerse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Entristecerse means “to become sad”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Entristecerse means to become sad, and it is used for growing sad on hearing bad news, remembering someone or watching a sad film. It is reflexive because the sadness happens to you, and it is regular, with the -cer ending behaving normally in every tense. This page shows entristecerse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” — I become sad at the news in the afternoon.
Entristecerse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how entristecerse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use entristecerse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” — I become sad at the news in the afternoon.
“¿Tú te entristeces al recordar a su abuelo?” — Do you become sad remembering his grandfather?
“Se entristece con la película triste.” — He/she becomes sad at the sad film.
“Nos entristecemos en otoño sin sus amigos.” — We become sad in autumn without his friends.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show entristecerse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me entristecí con la noticia de la tarde.” — Yesterday, I became sad at the news in the afternoon. (preterite)
“Él se entristecía al recordar a su abuelo todos los días.” — He used to become sad remembering his grandfather every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of entristecerse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos entristeceremos con la película triste mañana.” — We will become sad at the sad film tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has entristecido en otoño sin sus amigos?” — Have you become sad in autumn without his friends? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os entristecéis con la noticia de la tarde.” — You become sad at the news in the afternoon.
“Se entristecen al recordar a su abuelo.” — They become sad remembering his grandfather.
“Me entristezco con la película triste.” — I become sad at the sad film.
“Se entristece en otoño sin sus amigos.” — He/she becomes sad in autumn without his friends.
Entristecerse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how entristecerse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te entristeces con la noticia de la tarde?” — Do you become sad at the news in the afternoon?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” — Yes, I become sad at the news in the afternoon.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos entristecemos al recordar a su abuelo.” — We become sad remembering his grandfather.
Carlos: “Y ellos se entristecen con la película triste.” — And they become sad at the sad film.
Lucía: “Vosotros os entristecéis en otoño sin sus amigos.” — You become sad in autumn without his friends.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se entristece al recordar a su abuelo.” — Yes, and he becomes sad remembering his grandfather.
A short paragraph
Lucía se entristece con la noticia de la tarde, y Carlos se entristece al recordar a su abuelo. Nosotros nos entristecemos con la película triste, y ellos se entristecen en otoño sin sus amigos. Yo me entristezco con la película triste, y mi padre se entristece en otoño sin sus amigos. Entristecerse is part of everyday life, because to become sad is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with entristecerse
These are the errors learners actually make with entristecerse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” Right: “Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” Why: Entristecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo entristezco al recordar a su abuelo.” Right: “Ayer yo entristecí al recordar a su abuelo.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: entristezco is happening now, while entristecí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating entristecerse and alegrarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Entristecerse means to become sad, while alegrarse means to become happy.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: entristecerse fits sentences such as Me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde, while alegrarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy entristecido al recordar a su abuelo.” Right: “Yo he entristecido al recordar a su abuelo.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he entristecido, has entristecido, ha entristecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo entristecí con la película triste todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo entristecía con la película triste todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (entristecía), not the preterite. The preterite (entristecí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: entristecerse in use
Ten questions on entristecerse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ con la noticia de la tarde.” (At the news in the afternoon.)
- (a) os entristecéis
- (b) me entristezco
- (c) te entristeces
Answer: os entristecéis — The vosotros/as form of entristecerse in the present is os entristecéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al recordar a su abuelo.” (Remembering his grandfather.)
- (a) me entristezco
- (b) te entristeces
- (c) se entristecen
Answer: se entristecen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entristecerse in the present is se entristecen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ con la noticia de la tarde.” (At the news in the afternoon.)
- (a) se entristeció
- (b) me entristecí
- (c) te entristeciste
Answer: me entristecí — The yo form of entristecerse in the preterite is me entristecí.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ al recordar a su abuelo.” (Remembering his grandfather.)
- (a) se entristecía
- (b) me entristecía
- (c) te entristecías
Answer: se entristecía — The él/ella/Ud. form of entristecerse in the imperfect is se entristecía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ con la película triste.” (At the sad film.)
- (a) me entristeceré
- (b) te entristecerás
- (c) nos entristeceremos
Answer: nos entristeceremos — The nosotros/as form of entristecerse in the future is nos entristeceremos.
6. What does entristecerse mean in English?
- (a) to get engaged, to commit
- (b) to become sad
- (c) to become happy
Answer: to become sad — Entristecerse means “to become sad”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.
- (b) Ellos entristece con la noticia de la tarde.
- (c) Yo me entristezco al recordar a su abuelo ayer.
Answer: Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde. — “Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I become sad at the news in the afternoon.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se entristecen con la noticia de la tarde.
- (b) Yo me entristecí con la noticia de la tarde.
- (c) Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.
Answer: Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde. — “Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of entristecerse in the present tense?
- (a) te entristeces
- (b) nos entristecemos
- (c) me entristezco
Answer: nos entristecemos — The nosotros form is nos entristecemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me entristecí con la noticia de la tarde.
- (b) Nosotros nos entristeceremos con la noticia de la tarde mañana.
- (c) Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.
Answer: Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde. — “Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I become sad' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde todos los días'.
How do you say 'I become sad' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me entristecí al recordar a su abuelo'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me entristecía al recordar a su abuelo todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he entristecido al recordar a su abuelo'.
What is the difference between entristecerse and alegrarse?
Entristecerse means to become sad, while alegrarse means to become happy. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use entristecerse when you mean to become sad, as in Me entristezco con la noticia de la tarde.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of entristecerse — every tense of entristecerse in one place.
- Entristecerse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on entristecerse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of entristecerse until they are automatic.