Inklingo

How to Say "spooked" in Spanish

The Spanish word forspookedis asustadoA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
AdjectiveA1
informal, startled
A drawing of a young child with wide, terrified eyes and a pale face, recoiling and trembling slightly, clearly depicting fear.

Examples

El niño estaba asustado por la tormenta.

The boy was scared by the storm.

¿Estás asustada? No te preocupes, yo te protejo.

Are you scared (feminine)? Don't worry, I will protect you.

Los perros se quedaron asustados después de los fuegos artificiales.

The dogs remained frightened after the fireworks.

Gender and Number Agreement

As an adjective, 'asustado' must change its ending to match the person or thing it describes: asustado (masculine singular), asustada (feminine singular), asustados (masculine plural), asustadas (feminine plural).

Using ESTAR

You almost always use 'estar' (to be) with 'asustado' because it describes a temporary feeling or a current emotional state, not a permanent characteristic.

Forgetting Agreement

Mistake:La niña estaba asustado.

Correction: La niña estaba asustada. (The adjective must match the feminine noun 'niña'.)

Using SER instead of ESTAR

Mistake:Yo soy asustado.

Correction: Yo estoy asustado. (Use 'estar' for temporary feelings, unless you mean someone is permanently a scary person, which is very rare.)

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