asustado
/asusˈtado/
The English phrase 'scared' is translated into Spanish as asustado.
asustado is used to describe a person feeling fear or alarm due to something frightening.
Which one should you use?
While asustado describes the state of being scared, the verb asustar means to frighten or to scare someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, asustado must agree in gender and number with the person feeling fear. Use asustada if the subject is female, asustados for a group of males or a mixed group and asustadas for a group of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/asusˈtado/
Did you know?
- The word asustar is closely related to the word susto, which in some Latin American cultures is viewed as a folk illness. It is believed that a sudden, terrifying experience can cause a person to lose part of their soul, requiring a traditional healer to cure it.
- To express that someone is 'terrified' in a more intense way, you can use the phrase muerto de miedo, which literally translates to 'dead of fear'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you want to say someone is 'jumpy' or 'easily startled' rather than just 'scared', you might use the adjective asustadizo.
Examples in context
- Estaba temeroso/a de lo que pudiera pasarHe/she was scared of what might happen
- Me quedé cagado/a de miedo cuando vi la película de terrorI was scared shitless when I watched the horror movie
- Se me pusieron los pelos de punta cuando vi al fantasmaI got scared and had goosebumps
- Me da mucho miedo manejar de nocheI'm very scared to drive at night
- No te asustes, solo fue un ruidoDon't be scared, it was just a noise
- Estoy asustado por el ruido.I am scared because of the noise.
- El niño está muy asustado por el trueno.The boy is very frightened by the thunder.
- ¿Por qué estás tan asustado hoy?Why are you so scared today?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry asustado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
