Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Espantar in Spanish
espantar to scare, to frighten Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Espantar (to scare, to frighten) is a regular -AR verb in Spanish. In the present tense: espanto, espantas, espanta, espantamos, espantáis, espantan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- espantado scared
- Gerund
- espantando scaring
- Similar
- asustar, atemorizar, azorar, sobrecoger
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Espantar
- Espantar in the Indicative Present
- Espantar in the Indicative Preterite
- Espantar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Espantar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Espantar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Espantar in the Indicative Future
- Espantar in the Indicative Conditional
- Espantar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Espantar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Espantar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Espantar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Espantar
- Imperative tenses of Espantar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Espantar conjugations (free mobile app)
Get the Espantar conjugation tables by email
Want a handy PDF of espantar conjugations? Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
Indicative tenses of Espantar
Espantar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of espantar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “espanto”, meaning “I scare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espanto | I scare |
| Tú | espantas | you scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espanta | s/he scares |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantamos | we scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantáis | you (plural) scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantan | they scare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem espant- plus the -ar endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of espantar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “espanté”, meaning “I scared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espanté | I scared |
| Tú | espantaste | you scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantó | s/he scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantamos | we scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantasteis | you (plural) scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantaron | they scared |
How it’s built: Regular: stem espant- plus the -ar endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of espantar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “espantaba”, meaning “I used to scare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espantaba | I used to scare |
| Tú | espantabas | you used to scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantaba | s/he used to scare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantábamos | we used to scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantabais | you (plural) used to scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantaban | they used to scare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem espant- plus the -ar endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of espantar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy espantando”, meaning “I am scaring”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy espantando | I am scaring |
| Tú | estás espantando | you are scaring |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está espantando | s/he is scaring |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos espantando | we are scaring |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis espantando | you (plural) are scaring |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están espantando | they are scaring |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund espantando.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of espantar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a espantar”, meaning “I am going to scare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a espantar | I am going to scare |
| Tú | vas a espantar | you are going to scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a espantar | s/he is going to scare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a espantar | we are going to scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a espantar | you (plural) are going to scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a espantar | they are going to scare |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive espantar.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of espantar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “espantaré”, meaning “I will scare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espantaré | I will scare |
| Tú | espantarás | you will scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantará | s/he will scare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantaremos | we will scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantaréis | you (plural) will scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantarán | they will scare |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive espantar plus the future endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of espantar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “espantaría”, meaning “I would scare”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espantaría | I would scare |
| Tú | espantarías | you would scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantaría | s/he would scare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantaríamos | we would scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantaríais | you (plural) would scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantarían | they would scare |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive espantar plus the conditional endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of espantar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “he espantado”, meaning “I have scared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he espantado | I have scared |
| Tú | has espantado | you have scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha espantado | s/he has scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos espantado | we have scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis espantado | you (plural) have scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han espantado | they have scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of espantar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había espantado”, meaning “I had scared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había espantado | I had scared |
| Tú | habías espantado | you had scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había espantado | s/he had scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos espantado | we had scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais espantado | you (plural) had scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían espantado | they had scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of espantar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré espantado”, meaning “I will have scared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré espantado | I will have scared |
| Tú | habrás espantado | you will have scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá espantado | s/he will have scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos espantado | we will have scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis espantado | you (plural) will have scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán espantado | they will have scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of espantar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría espantado”, meaning “I would have scared”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría espantado | I would have scared |
| Tú | habrías espantado | you would have scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría espantado | s/he would have scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos espantado | we would have scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais espantado | you (plural) would have scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían espantado | they would have scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Want espantar to come out without thinking?
The app teaches the regular -ar verbs as one pattern, then quizzes you until espantar and every verb like it comes out automatically.
Subjunctive tenses of Espantar
Espantar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “espante”, meaning “I scare”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espante | I scare |
| Tú | espantes | you scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espante | s/he scares |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantemos | we scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantéis | you (plural) scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espanten | they scare |
How it’s built: Regular: stem espant- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “espantara”, meaning “I scared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espantara | I scared |
| Tú | espantaras | you scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantara | s/he scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantáramos | we scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantarais | you (plural) scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantaran | they scared |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, espantaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (espantáramos).
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “espantare”, meaning “I will scare”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | espantare | I will scare |
| Tú | espantares | you will scare |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espantare | s/he will scare |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantáremos | we will scare |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantareis | you (plural) will scare |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espantaren | they will scare |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, espantaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (espantáremos).
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “haya espantado”, meaning “I have scared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya espantado | I have scared |
| Tú | hayas espantado | you have scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya espantado | s/he has scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos espantado | we have scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis espantado | you (plural) have scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan espantado | they have scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “hubiera espantado”, meaning “I had scared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera espantado | I had scared |
| Tú | hubieras espantado | you had scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera espantado | s/he had scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos espantado | we had scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais espantado | you (plural) had scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran espantado | they had scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “hubiere espantado”, meaning “I will have scared”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere espantado | I will have scared |
| Tú | hubieres espantado | you will have scared |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere espantado | s/he will have scared |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos espantado | we will have scared |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis espantado | you (plural) will have scared |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren espantado | they will have scared |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle espantado.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Imperative tenses of Espantar
Espantar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “espante”, meaning “(to you formal) scare!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | espanta | (to you) scare! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | espante | (to you formal) scare! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | espantemos | let's scare! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | espantad | (to you plural) scare! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | espanten | (to you plural formal) scare! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (espanta); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (espante, espantemos, espanten); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (espantad).
Or use our app:
Back to top
Espantar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no espante”, meaning “(to you formal) don't scare!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no espantes | (to you) don't scare! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no espante | (to you formal) don't scare! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no espantemos | let's not scare! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no espantéis | (to you plural) don't scare! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no espanten | (to you plural formal) don't scare! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no espantes, no espante, no espantemos, no espantéis, no espanten.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Frequently asked questions about Espantar
Is espantar a regular or irregular verb?
Espantar is a fully regular -AR verb. It follows the standard -AR conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -AR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate espantar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), espantar is conjugated as: yo espanto, tú espantas, él/ella/usted espanta, nosotros espantamos, vosotros espantáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes espantan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate espantar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), espantar is conjugated as: yo espanté, tú espantaste, él/ella/usted espantó, nosotros espantamos, vosotros espantasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes espantaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate espantar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), espantar is conjugated as: yo espantaba, tú espantabas, él/ella/usted espantaba, nosotros espantábamos, vosotros espantabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes espantaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate espantar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), espantar is conjugated as: yo espantaré, tú espantarás, él/ella/usted espantará, nosotros espantaremos, vosotros espantaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes espantarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate espantar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), espantar is conjugated as: yo espante, tú espantes, él/ella/usted espante, nosotros espantemos, vosotros espantéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes espanten. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Espantar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practise Espantar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Espantar and 2,500+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app’s features:
It has changed a lot over the 9+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
– Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Especializar – to specialize, to specialise or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
