Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

EXPRESSING FEAR OR WORRY 65.1Temían que la policía los descubriera.They were afraid the police might track them down. 18.1.4 (p. 85); 19 (p. 93)65.1.8 65.1.9 Estar asustado(a), asustarseEstar asustado(a) is less frequent than the two previous verbs and it can be found insentences such as these:22.2 (p. 105)Estoy (muy) asustado(a).Estábamos asustados(as).Estás asustado(a), ¿verdad?I’m (very) scared.We were scared.You are scared, aren’t you?Asustarse, a reflexive verb, conveys the idea of getting frightened rather than of beingafraid, and it normally occurs in sentences like the following:23.6 (p. 109)Estar preocupado(a)Me asusté.Nos asustamos mucho.¡No se asuste!I got frightened/worried.We got very scared/worried.Don’t be (get) frightened!This is the only one of the expressions listed above which translates literally as ‘to beworried’, although the other verbs can in certain contexts express this idea as well. Thisexpression is frequent and it can be found in sentences such as these:22.2 (p. 105)Estoy (muy) preocupado(a).I’m very worried.Estamos preocupados por su salud.We are worried about his/her health.Mi madre estaba preocupada.My mother was worried.65.1.10PreocuparsePreocuparse, a reflexive verb, can be used on its own or followed by the prepositionpor, in sentences like the following: 36823.6 (p. 109)No se preocupe usted.Don’t worry.No se preocupan por sus hijos.They don’t worry about their children.No te preocupes por mí.Don’t worry about me.