avergonzar Preterite Conjugation
avergonzar — to embarrass
Avergonzar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes 'z' to 'c': avergoncé.
avergonzar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to point to a specific moment when someone was embarrassed or when an action caused a sudden feeling of shame.
Notes on avergonzar in the Preterite
The only irregularity is the spelling change in the 'yo' form (z > c) to maintain the soft 's' sound before the letter 'é'. There is no stem change (o > ue) in the preterite.
Example Sentences
Me avergoncé mucho cuando se me cayó el café.
I felt very embarrassed when I dropped my coffee.
yo
Su comportamiento nos avergonzó a todos.
His behavior embarrassed all of us.
él/ella/usted
¿No te avergonzaste de llegar tan tarde?
Weren't you ashamed of arriving so late?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'avergonzé' with a Z.
Correct: avergoncé
Why: In Spanish spelling rules, 'z' almost always changes to 'c' before the letters 'e' or 'i'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: avergüenzo
Avergonzar is a stem-changer (o > ue) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: avergüenzo, avergüenzas, avergüenza, avergonzamos, avergonzáis, avergüenzan.
Imperfect
yo: avergonzaba
Avergonzar is completely regular in the imperfect: avergonzaba, avergonzabas, avergonzaba...
Future
yo: avergonzaré
The future tense is regular; just add the endings to the infinitive: avergonzaré, avergonzarás...
Conditional
yo: avergonzaría
The conditional is regular: avergonzaría, avergonzarías, avergonzaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: avergüence
The subjunctive uses the 'ue' stem change and the 'z' to 'c' spelling change: avergüence, avergüences...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: avergonzara
The imperfect subjunctive is based on the preterite stem: avergonzara, avergonzaras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: avergüenza
The imperative uses the 'ue' stem change: avergüenza (tú), avergüence (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no avergüences
The negative imperative matches the present subjunctive: no avergüences, no avergüence.