Estresarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

estresarse means "to get stressed" 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. Estresarse means "to get stressed" — at work, before an exam, in traffic, with money worries. It is the reflexive partner of estresar (to stress someone out): el trabajo me estresa (work stresses me out) versus me estreso en el trabajo (I get stressed at work). It is a regular -ar verb: me estreso, te estresas, se estresa, nos estresamos, os estresáis, se estresan. The phrase no te estreses (don't stress) is the modern equivalent of no te preocupes, and learners hear it constantly. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 estresarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the estresarse present tense page.

estresarse in everyday use: examples with translations

Getting stressed at work

  1. Yo me estreso en el trabajo. — "I get stressed at work."
  2. Yo me estreso con los plazos. — "I get stressed with deadlines."
  3. Ayer yo me estresé mucho en la oficina. — "Yesterday I got very stressed at the office."
  4. De joven, yo me estresaba poco. — "When I was young, I used to get stressed little."

Getting stressed about exams and money

  1. Tú te estresas por el examen. — "You get stressed about the exam."
  2. Ellos se estresan por el dinero. — "They get stressed about money."
  3. Tú te estresarás si no estudias. — "You will get stressed if you don't study."
  4. Yo me he estresado mucho esta semana. — "I have got very stressed this week."

Don't get stressed

  1. No te te estresas, todo irá bien. — "Don't get stressed, everything will be fine."
  2. Mi jefe se estresa muy rápido. — "My boss gets stressed very quickly."
  3. Yo me estresaría menos si durmiera más. — "I would get less stressed if I slept more."
  4. Nosotros nos estresamos en el tráfico. — "We get stressed in traffic."

estresarse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use estresarse the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Before an exam, a student panics.

  • Alumno: ¿Tú te estresas por el examen? — "Do you get stressed about the exam?"
  • Amiga: Yo me estreso en el trabajo. — "I get stressed at work."
  • Alumno: No te te estresas, todo irá bien. — "Don't get stressed, everything will be fine."
  • Amiga: Ayer yo me estresé mucho en la oficina. — "Yesterday I got very stressed at the office."

In traffic, a driver loses patience.

  • Conductor: Nosotros nos estresamos en el tráfico. — "We get stressed in traffic."
  • Pasajero: Mi jefe se estresa muy rápido. — "My boss gets stressed very quickly."
  • Conductor: Yo me estreso con los plazos. — "I get stressed with deadlines."
  • Pasajero: Yo me estresaría menos si durmiera más. — "I would get less stressed if I slept more."

Common mistakes with estresarse

The errors learners actually make with estresarse, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo estreso en el trabajo (dropping the pronoun).

✓ Correct: Yo me estreso en el trabajo.

Estresarse is reflexive: me estreso. Yo estreso means "I stress (someone else) out".

✗ *Tú estresas por el examen (missing te).

✓ Correct: Tú te estresas por el examen.

The pronoun is obligatory: te estresas, not estresas.

✗ *No estreses, todo irá bien (missing te).

✓ Correct: No te te estresas, todo irá bien.

The phrase is no te estreses, with the pronoun. Without te it is the wrong form.

✗ *Vosotros estresáis con el ruido (missing os).

✓ Correct: Vosotros os estresáis con el ruido.

Vosotros needs os: os estresáis. And estresáis carries the written accent on the á.

Quiz: estresarse in use

Ten questions on estresarse — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el trabajo. — "I get stressed at work."

  • a) se estresa
  • b) me estresé
  • c) te estresas
  • d) me estreso

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo ______ mucho en la oficina. — "Yesterday I got very stressed at the office."

  • a) me estreso
  • b) te estresaste
  • c) se estresó
  • d) me estresé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ por el dinero. — "They get stressed about money."

  • a) te estresas
  • b) se estresaron
  • c) se estresan
  • d) me estreso

4. Complete the sentence: No te ______, todo irá bien. — "Don't get stressed, everything will be fine."

  • a) te estresas
  • b) te estresaste
  • c) me estreso
  • d) se estresa

5. Which is the correct present tense form of estresarse for yo?

  • a) se estresa
  • b) me estreso
  • c) te estresas
  • d) nos estresamos

6. Which is the correct present tense form of estresarse for tú?

  • a) se estresa
  • b) te estresas
  • c) me estreso
  • d) nos estresamos

7. Which is the correct present tense form of estresarse for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) te estresas
  • b) se estresan
  • c) se estresa
  • d) me estreso

8. Which sentence uses estresarse correctly?

  • a) Nosotros se estresa antes de viajar.
  • b) Nosotros nos estresamos antes de viajar.
  • c) Nosotros estresamos antes de viajar.

9. What is the past participle of estresarse?

  • a) estreso
  • b) estresándose
  • c) estresó
  • d) estresado

10. What does estresarse mean in English?

  • a) to get stressed
  • b) to go
  • c) to have
  • d) to relax

Answer key

  1. d) me estreso — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: me estreso.

  2. d) me estresé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: me estresé.

  3. c) se estresan — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the present: se estresan.

  4. a) te estresas — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: te estresas.

  5. b) me estreso — The present tense form for yo is me estreso.

  6. b) te estresas — The present tense form for tú is te estresas.

  7. b) se estresan — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is se estresan.

  8. b) Nosotros nos estresamos antes de viajar. — Nosotros nos estresamos antes de viajar. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. d) estresado — The past participle is estresado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he estresado, has estresado, ha estresado.

  10. a) to get stressed — estresarse means "to get stressed".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use estresarse in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as estresarse en el trabajo and no te estreses. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between estresarse and relajarse?

estresarse means "to get stressed", while relajarse means "to relax". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use estresarse when you mean "to get stressed" and relajarse when you mean "to relax".

Which tense do I need most with estresarse?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use estresarse most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is estresarse formal or informal?

estresarse is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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