Asustarse

Asustarse is a pronominal Spanish verb meaning to become frightened or to get scared. It is intransitive and reflexive, used to describe a personal emotional reaction to a stimulus. A person can asustarse as a result of a loud noise, a sudden event, or disturbing information. The verb is commonly followed by de to express the cause, as in asustarse de algo, although other constructions such as ante or con are also possible in some contexts. The imperative form is used to urge calm: no te asustes.

Conjugation and forms are typical of Spanish reflexive verbs. Present: me asusto, te asustas, se asusta, nos asustamos, os asustáis, se asustan. Preterite simple: me asusté, te asustaste, se asustó, nos asustamos, os asustasteis, se asustaron. Imperfect: me asustaba, te asustabas, se asustaba, nos asustábamos, os asustabais, se asustaban. Future: me asustaré, te asustarás, se asustará, nos asustaremos, os asustaréis, se asustarán. Subjunctive present: me asuste, te asustes, se asuste, nos asustemos, os asustéis, se asusten. Participle: asustado; gerund: asustándose.

Usage notes: the reflexive form emphasizes the subject’s internal experience rather than causing fear in another person, unlike the transitive asustar. Examples: Me asusté al escuchar el trueno. No te asustes; todo está bien. Ella se asusta con las películas de terror, pero luego se tranquiliza. The preposition de often marks the trigger (me asusté de la caída), while ante can refer to the presented situation.

Relation with asustar: asustar means to frighten someone or something; asustarse focuses on the speaker’s own fear. Related terms include susto and miedo.