Meaning and behavior
What does espantar mean?
Espantar means to scare, to spook, to frighten. VerbyGo classifies it as a regular -AR verb. It is non-reflexive.
to scare away, to scare off, to chase away, to drive away, to frighten away, to frighten off.
Build from reliable parts
Principal forms
- Infinitive
- espantar
- Gerund
- espantando
- Past participle
- espantado
Regular -AR pattern
How this verb behaves
Espantar follows the regular -ar pattern in the four tenses shown here.
Conjugation guide
Present forms
Present forms
Present
Use the present forms of espantar for current situations, routines and actions that happen regularly.
| Subject | Espantar |
|---|---|
| yo | espanto |
| tú | espantas |
| él / ella / usted | espanta |
| nosotros / nosotras | espantamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | espantáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | espantan |
Conjugation guide
Past forms
Past forms
Preterite
Use the preterite when the action of espantar is presented as completed in the past.
| Subject | Espantar |
|---|---|
| yo | espanté |
| tú | espantaste |
| él / ella / usted | espantó |
| nosotros / nosotras | espantamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | espantasteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | espantaron |
Past forms
Imperfect past
Use the imperfect for repeated or ongoing past uses of espantar, or for background information.
| Subject | Espantar |
|---|---|
| yo | espantaba |
| tú | espantabas |
| él / ella / usted | espantaba |
| nosotros / nosotras | espantábamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | espantabais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | espantaban |
Conjugation guide
Future and conditional
Future and conditional
Simple future
Use the future forms of espantar for predictions, promises and future statements.
| Subject | Espantar |
|---|---|
| yo | espantaré |
| tú | espantarás |
| él / ella / usted | espantará |
| nosotros / nosotras | espantaremos |
| vosotros / vosotras | espantaréis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | espantarán |
Verified context
Examples with espantar
Las voces provenientes de la jungla espantaron a los exploradores.
The voices coming from the jungle frightened the explorers.
Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FRElla espantó a un oso.
She scared a bear away.
Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Quick answers
Espantar FAQ
What does espantar mean?
Espantar means to scare, to spook, to frighten.
Is espantar regular or irregular?
Espantar is a regular -AR verb.
What is the gerund of espantar?
The gerund of espantar is espantando.
What is the past participle of espantar?
The past participle of espantar is espantado.
How is espantar conjugated in the present?
The verified public subject set is espanto, espantas, espanta, espantamos, espantan.
How is espantar conjugated in the preterite?
The verified public subject set is espanté, espantaste, espantó, espantamos, espantaron.
Created by Alejandro Ruiz, an experienced Spanish tutor.