me asusto a ver

Question

Asustarse means to be frightened or terrified. But I was also wondering if it can mean to be surprised. I know there is sorprenderse, but I heard "me asusto a ver" as if to mean, "I'm surprised to see..." Can anyone verify that this can be translated this way?

Thanks!

Answer 1

"Me asusto a ver" is an attempt to translate directly from English, and it doesn't work. The usual "to" before infinitives ("to see") cannot be translated into Spanish, because that "to" does not exist in Spanish! Many pronominal verbs (with the "se" attached to it) have one specific preposition that has to be memorized, and "a" is not nearly as common as others like "de" o "en", so if you are in doubt, try "de", and statistically you're more likely to guess the right option.

In this case is "de", by the way, although you can use an alternative construction with a different meaning: "al + infinitive", which is almost equivalent to "cuando + conjugated verb".

Answer 2

It's me asusto de ver

I get frightened/ worried/ alarmed/ shocked...