Frighten – English Verbs Conjugation

frighten frightens frightening frightened

Frighten means to make someone afraid. Regular verb: frighten-frightened-frightened.

Meanings

To make afraid
To scare
To cause fear

Common Collocations

frighten someone frighten away easily frightened frighten the children

Tip for Learners

Frighten is transitive; it needs an object. "The noise frightened me."

Present Simple

I	frighten
you	frighten
he/she/it	frightens
we	frighten
they	frighten

Examples - Present Simple

I frighten easily during horror movies.
You frighten the children with those stories.
She frightens intruders with her alarm system.
We frighten pests away from the garden.
They frighten people for Halloween fun.

Present Continuous

I	am frightening
you	are frightening
he/she/it	is frightening
we	are frightening
they	are frightening

Examples - Present Continuous

I am frightening myself with worst-case scenarios.
You are frightening the neighbors with that noise.
He is frightening the birds away from the feeder.
We are frightening competitors with our success.
They are frightening customers with the price increase.

Present Perfect

I	have frightened
you	have frightened
he/she/it	has frightened
we	have frightened
they	have frightened

Examples - Present Perfect

I have frightened myself reading about that.
You have frightened everyone with the announcement.
She has frightened off several suitors.
We have frightened away the wildlife accidentally.
They have frightened the market with the news.

Present Perfect Continuous

I	have been frightening
you	have been frightening
he/she/it	has been frightening
we	have been frightening
they	have been frightening

Examples - Present Perfect Continuous

I have been frightening myself with the news.
You have been frightening people with those rumors.
He has been frightening birds since planting.
We have been frightening small competitors for years.
They have been frightening investors with volatility.

Past Simple

I	frightened
you	frightened
he/she/it	frightened
we	frightened
they	frightened

Examples - Past Simple

I frightened the cat by dropping the pan.
You frightened me when you jumped out.
The storm frightened all the animals.
We frightened the deer away accidentally.
They frightened the burglars with the alarm.

Past Continuous

I	was frightening
you	were frightening
he/she/it	was frightening
we	were frightening
they	were frightening

Examples - Past Continuous

I was frightening myself thinking about it.
You were frightening the children with that mask.
The thunder was frightening the dog all night.
We were frightening birds from the crops.
They were frightening competitors before the merger.

Past Perfect

I	had frightened
you	had frightened
he/she/it	had frightened
we	had frightened
they	had frightened

Examples - Past Perfect

I had frightened myself before realizing the truth.
You had frightened them before explaining.
The noise had frightened everyone before the source was found.
We had frightened away predators before the livestock arrived.
They had frightened the market before calming it.

Past Perfect Continuous

I	had been frightening
you	had been frightening
he/she/it	had been frightening
we	had been frightening
they	had been frightening

Examples - Past Perfect Continuous

I had been frightening myself for hours.
You had been frightening neighbors before the warning.
The scarecrow had been frightening birds for months.
We had been frightening rivals before they adapted.
They had been frightening customers before the fix.

Future Simple

I	will frighten
you	will frighten
he/she/it	will frighten
we	will frighten
they	will frighten

Examples - Future Simple

I will frighten you if I sneak up like that.
You will frighten the cat with that vacuum.
The news will frighten many people.
We will frighten off any trespassers.
They will frighten investors with that report.

Future Continuous

I	will be frightening
you	will be frightening
he/she/it	will be frightening
we	will be frightening
they	will be frightening

Examples - Future Continuous

I will be frightening trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
You will be frightening small children with that costume.
The storm will be frightening pets all night.
We will be frightening pests away during harvest.
They will be frightening the competition during the launch.

Future Perfect

I	will have frightened
you	will have frightened
he/she/it	will have frightened
we	will have frightened
they	will have frightened

Examples - Future Perfect

I will have frightened everyone by the end of the movie.
You will have frightened the whole neighborhood.
The scare will have frightened them by then.
We will have frightened off most threats by completion.
They will have frightened the market by the announcement.

Future Perfect Continuous

I	will have been frightening
you	will have been frightening
he/she/it	will have been frightening
we	will have been frightening
they	will have been frightening

Examples - Future Perfect Continuous

I will have been frightening myself for hours by bedtime.
You will have been frightening people all evening.
The haunted house will have been frightening visitors all night.
We will have been frightening pests since spring.
They will have been frightening competitors since entry.