Espantarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

espantarse means to get frightened, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb, reflexive verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Me espanto todos los días» — I get frightened every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use espantarse the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Espantarse in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where espantarse lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Me espanto todos los días. — I get frightened every day.
  2. Te espantas en el trabajo. — You get frightened at work.
  3. Se espanta con mi familia. — He gets frightened with my family.
  4. Nos espantamos por la mañana. — We get frightened in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer me espanté por la tarde. — Yesterday I got frightened in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, me espantaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to get frightened every day.
  3. La semana pasada se espantó dos veces. — Last week He got frightened twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana me espantaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will get frightened without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, me espantaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would get frightened right now.
  3. Hoy me he espantado dos veces. — Today I have got frightened twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que te espantes pronto. — I hope You get frightened soon.
  2. ¡No te espantes! — Don't get frightened!
  3. Ahora mismo me estoy espantando. — Right now I am getting frightened.

Espantarse in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Me espanto en el trabajo.» — I get frightened at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Me espanto con mi familia.» — I get frightened with my family. Ana: «Mañana me espantaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will get frightened without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, me espantaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would get frightened right now. Ana: «Hoy me he espantado dos veces.» — Today I have got frightened twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer me espanté por la tarde. Antes, me espantaba todos los días. Hoy me he espantado dos veces. Mañana me espantaré sin falta.

Yesterday I got frightened in the afternoon. In the past, I used to get frightened every day. Today I have got frightened twice. Tomorrow I will get frightened without fail.

Common mistakes with espantarse

1. Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: yo espanto todos los días.

Right: me espanto todos los días.

espantarse is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before every conjugated form. Without it, you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something different — doing the action to someone else instead of to yourself.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer me espantaba.

Right: Ayer me espanté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, espanté. The imperfect espantaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que te espantas.

Right: Espero que te espantes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: espantes, not the indicative espantas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No te espanta.

Right: No te espantes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no espantes. The affirmative espanta can never follow no.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He espantando.

Right: He espantado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he espantado. The gerund espantando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy espantando»), never with haber.

Quiz: espantarse in use

Test yourself on espantarse in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of espantarse in the present indicative?

- (a) espantas
- (b) espanta
- (c) espanto
- (d) espantáis

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of espantarse in the preterite?

- (a) espantó
- (b) espantaste
- (c) espanté
- (d) espantaron

3. What is the yo form of espantarse in the future?

- (a) espantarás
- (b) espantará
- (c) espantaré
- (d) espantaremos

4. What is the tú form of espantarse in the present perfect?

- (a) he espantado
- (b) ha espantado
- (c) has espantado
- (d) hemos espantado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of espantarse in the imperfect?

- (a) espantabas
- (b) espantaba
- (c) espantabais
- (d) espantaba

6. What is the gerund of espantarse?

- (a) espanto
- (b) espantado
- (c) espantarse
- (d) espantando

7. What is the past participle of espantarse?

- (a) espantarse
- (b) espanté
- (c) espantando
- (d) espantado

8. Which sentence uses espantarse correctly?

- (a) *Yo espantarse todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo espanta todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo espantas todos los días.*
- (d) *Me espanto todos los días.* — I get frightened every day.

9. Which sentence uses espantarse correctly?

- (a) *Ayer me espanté por la tarde.* — Yesterday I got frightened in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo espantaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo espantarse por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo espanto por la tarde.*

10. What does espantarse mean?

- (a) to get frightened
- (b) to frighten
- (c) to settle
- (d) to hide oneself

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of espantarse is espantáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of espantarse is espantaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the future, the yo form of espantarse is espantaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the present perfect, the tú form of espantarse is has espantado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of espantarse is espantabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of espantarse is espantando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy espantando». 7. (d) — The past participle of espantarse is espantado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he espantado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of espantarse; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of espantarse; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — espantarse means «to get frightened».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I get frightened' in Spanish?

Say «Me espanto todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I got frightened' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer me espanté por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is espantarse reflexive?

Yes — espantarse is reflexive, so every conjugated form takes its pronoun: me espanto, te espantas, se espanta. The pronoun always comes before the verb, except in affirmative commands, where it attaches to the end.

Which tense do learners find hardest with espantarse?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (espanté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (espantaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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