The Present Tense of asustar is used to describe actions that frighten or scare someone in the present moment. For example, Los fantasmas asustan a los niños. (The ghosts scare the children.)

Asustar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Asustar (to frighten) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Asustar generally means to frighten or scare, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To frighten or scare: For example, Los fantasmas asustan a los niños. (Ghosts frighten children.)

To startle or surprise: For example, El ruido fuerte me asusta. (The loud noise startles me.)

To intimidate or threaten (colloquial): For example, No me asustes con tus palabras. (Don’t intimidate me with your words.)

To shock or horrify: For example, Las imágenes de la guerra me asustan. (The images of war horrify me.)

To scare away or deter (colloquial): For example, La policía asusta a los ladrones. (The police scare away the thieves.)

Examples

Examples of Asustar in the Present Tense

Cuando veo una película de terror, el monstruo me asusta. (When I watch a horror movie, the monster scares me.)

Los payasos asustan a muchos niños con sus caras pintadas. (Clowns scare many children with their painted faces.)

¿Por qué asustas a tu hermano menor con esas historias de fantasmas? (Why do you scare your little brother with those ghost stories?)

En la película, el asesino asusta a sus víctimas antes de matarlas. (In the movie, the killer scares his victims before killing them.)

Los perros callejeros asustan a la gente cuando ladran agresivamente. (Stray dogs scare people when they bark aggressively.)

Oye amigo, no asustes a la gente saltando de repente, ¿ok? (Hey buddy, don’t scare people by jumping out suddenly, ok?)

Los ruidos extraños en la casa abandonada asustan a los niños exploradores. (The strange noises in the abandoned house scare the explorer kids.)

Cuando asustáis a vuestros amigos con bromas pesadas, pueden enojarse. (When you scare your friends with mean pranks, they can get angry.)

Los gritos de la multitud asustan al orador en el escenario. (The crowd’s screams scare the speaker on stage.)

¿Por qué asusto a mi novia con bromas tontas? Porque me gusta verla reír. (Why do I scare my girlfriend with silly pranks? Because I like to see her laugh.)

Las noticias sobre crímenes violentos asustan a la gente en la ciudad. (News about violent crimes scares people in the city.)

Los efectos especiales en esa película de terror asustan hasta a los adultos. (The special effects in that horror movie scare even adults.)

Cuando asustáis a vuestras mascotas con ruidos fuertes, pueden esconderse. (When you scare your pets with loud noises, they may hide.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Asustar (to frighten) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.