To Panic

[Bobbert]

I’m unsure how to convey the verb “to panic.” Are any of the following correct? If so, which is the most common way to say:

I panicked.
Entré en pánico.
Me entró el pánico.

I was panicking.
Yo estaba entrando en pánico.
Me estaba entrando el pánico.

She panicked.
(Ella) entró en pánico.
Le entró el pánico.

She was panicking.
(Ella) estaba entrando en pánico
Le estaba entrando el pánico.

I was panic-stricken.
(Yo) era presa de pánico.

Any and all input is appreciated.

[wrholt]

I did a search on wordreference.com for English-to-Spanish translations of "panic". A couple of other possibilities for your first four sentence could be "sentir pánico" or "aterrorizarse". That is:

I panicked = Sentí pánico or me aterroricé

I was panicking = (yo) sentía pánico, (yo) estaba sintiendo pánico, (yo) me aterrorizaba, (yo) me estaba aterrorizando, or (yo) estaba aterrorizándome

She panicked = (ella) sintió pánico or (ella) se aterrorizó

She was panicking = (ella) sentía pánico, (ella) estaba sintiendo pánico, (ella) se aterrorizaba, (yo) se estaba aterrorizando, or (ella) estaba aterrorizándose

Note that in the imperfect the first-person singular and third-person singular verb forms are identical; often the context makes the intended subject of the verb clear, and sometimes the context it unclear and one needs explicitly state the subject in some manner.

Your last sentence is different: the suggestions for "panic-stricken" include:

asustado/a
muerto/a de miedo
en pánico

Also, in addition to "aterrorizarse" = to panic (intransitive), there is also "aterrorizarle a alguien" = to panic someone (that is, cause someone other than the subject to panic). For example:

(yo) le aterrorizaba (a ella) = I was panicking her or I was causing her to panic
ella me aterrorizaba (a mí) = she was panicking me or she was causing me to panic

[Bobbert]

Thanks for your input, wrholt. I appreciate your taking the time to write so many details. The alternatives you supplied make sense and will be easy to remember.

Also, do you know if the ones I wrote are correct and/or commonly used? And more importantly, if they are commonly used, which format is used the most?

Any further input is appreciated.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Both alternatives are alright. Apart from Wrholt's suggestions, there is also "dar pánico" and "apanicarse". The last verb is probably used only in Mexico, and it's rather colloquial.

- Después del temblor, me daba pánico entrar a la casa.
- Todos nos apanicamos cuando vimos caerse el edificio.

[Bobbert]

Thank you, Wrholt and Angelica. That's what I needed to know.