asustó
/ah-soos-TOH/
scared
The ghost asustó (scared) the squirrel by appearing suddenly.
asustó(verb)
scared
?(He/She/It/You formal) caused fear
,frightened
?(He/She/It/You formal) startled
gave a fright
?informal action
📝 In Action
El trueno asustó al bebé y empezó a llorar.
A2The thunder scared the baby, and it started crying.
Mi hermano me asustó por detrás cuando entré en la habitación.
B1My brother scared me from behind when I entered the room.
Usted asustó a todos con esa broma tan pesada.
B1You (formal) scared everyone with that heavy joke.
💡 Grammar Points
The Preterite Tense
This form, 'asustó,' tells you that the action of scaring happened suddenly and was completed in the past, like a single event (e.g., 'A loud noise scared her').
⭐ Usage Tips
Transitive Use
When you use 'asustó' without a 'se,' it means the subject caused the fear in someone else. (e.g., 'El perro asustó al gato' - The dog scared the cat.)
The kitten asustó (got scared) and hid under the blanket.
asustó(verb)
got scared
?(He/She/It/You formal) became afraid
,was startled
?(He/She/It/You formal) was surprised suddenly
took fright
?less common phrasing
📝 In Action
Se asustó cuando vio su propio reflejo en la oscuridad.
B1He/She got scared when he/she saw his/her own reflection in the dark.
Ella se asustó mucho al ver la película de terror.
B1She got very frightened watching the horror movie.
Usted se asustó cuando el coche frenó de golpe.
B2You (formal) were startled when the car suddenly braked.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'Se' Particle
When you use 'asustó' with the pronoun 'se' (se asustó), the meaning changes from scaring someone else to getting scared yourself. It shows the subject experiencing the action.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the 'Se'
Mistake: "Dije 'Yo asusté' cuando quiero decir 'I got scared.'"
Correction: You must say 'Yo me asusté.' If you say 'Yo asusté,' it means 'I scared someone else.'
⭐ Usage Tips
Feeling vs. Causing
Remember the simple rule: asustó (transitive) = caused the fear. se asustó (pronominal) = felt the fear.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
imperfect
present
preterite
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: asustó
Question 1 of 2
If your friend suddenly jumped out from behind a door, which sentence best describes what happened using 'asustó'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'asustó' have an accent mark on the 'o'?
The accent mark indicates that the stress falls on the last syllable ('tó'). This is standard for the third-person singular of the simple past tense (preterite) for all regular -ar verbs in Spanish.
When would I use 'asustó' versus 'asustaba'?
You use 'asustó' (preterite) for a single, completed action in the past (e.g., 'The dog barked once and scared him'). You use 'asustaba' (imperfect) for ongoing or habitual actions in the past (e.g., 'The old house always scared him').