Amamantar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

amamantar means “to breastfeed” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Amamantar means to breastfeed, to feed a baby with breast milk. It is used in health, family and parenting contexts, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of amamantar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the amamantar present tense page.

amamantar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
  2. Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. — “He breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.”
  3. Nosotros amamantamos en público con discreción. — “We breastfeed in public discreetly.”
  4. Ellos amamantan a los gemelos en casa. — “They breastfeed the twins at home.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo amamanté al niño hasta los seis meses. — “Yesterday, I breastfed the child until he is six months old.”
  2. Antes, nosotros amamantábamos en público con discreción. — “Before, we used to breastfeed in public discreetly.”
  3. Él amamantó a los gemelos en casa. — “He breastfed the twins at home.”
  4. Yo ya había amamantado a su bebé cada tres horas antes de salir. — “I had already breastfed her baby every three hours before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú amamantarás a su bebé cada tres horas. — “Tomorrow, you will breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
  2. Yo amamantaría al niño hasta los seis meses si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would breastfeed the child until he is six months old if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha amamantado en público con discreción. — “He has breastfed in public discreetly.”
  4. Espero que él amamante a los gemelos en casa. — “I hope he breastfeeds the twins at home.”

amamantar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use amamantar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
  • Bea: Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. — “He breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo amamanté al niño hasta los seis meses. — “Yesterday, I breastfed the child until he is six months old.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú amamantarás a su bebé cada tres horas. — “Tomorrow, you will breastfeed her baby every three hours.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros amamantamos en público con discreción. — “We breastfeed in public discreetly.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros amamantábamos en público con discreción. — “Before, we used to breastfeed in public discreetly.”
  • Luis: Yo amamantaría al niño hasta los seis meses si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would breastfeed the child until he is six months old if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él amamante a los gemelos en casa. — “I hope he breastfeeds the twins at home.”

A short scene with amamantar

A short scene shows how amamantar works across the day. In the morning: Amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. In the afternoon: Amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, amamanté en público con discreción. And tomorrow: Mañana, amamantaré a los gemelos en casa. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how amamantar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with amamantar

The errors learners actually make with amamantar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo amamanta a su bebé cada tres horas.

✓ Correct: Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas.

The person matters: amamanta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is amamanto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo amamanto al niño hasta los seis meses.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo amamanté al niño hasta los seis meses.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: amamanto is happening now, while amamanté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating amamantar and alimentar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Amamantar means to breastfeed, while alimentar means to feed.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: amamantar fits sentences such as Amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas, while alimentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy amamantado al niño hasta los seis meses.

✓ Correct: Yo he amamantado al niño hasta los seis meses.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he amamantado, has amamantado, ha amamantado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo amamanté en público con discreción todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo amamantaba en público con discreción todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (amamantaba), not the preterite. The preterite (amamanté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: amamantar in use

Ten questions on amamantar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al niño hasta los seis meses. — “He/she breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.”

  • a) amamanta
  • b) amamanto
  • c) amamantas
  • d) amamantamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ en público con discreción. — “Yesterday, I breastfed in public discreetly.”

  • a) amamantaste
  • b) amamantó
  • c) amamantaron
  • d) amamanté

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a los gemelos en casa cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to breastfeed the twins at home when they were young.”

  • a) amamantabas
  • b) amamantábamos
  • c) amamantaban
  • d) amamantaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a su bebé cada tres horas. — “Tomorrow, we will breastfeed her baby every three hours.”

  • a) amamantarán
  • b) amamantaremos
  • c) amamantaré
  • d) amamantarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al niño hasta los seis meses si pudiera. — “He would breastfeed the child until he is six months old if he could.”

  • a) amamantaría
  • b) amamantarías
  • c) amamantaríamos
  • d) amamanto

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en público con discreción. — “I have breastfed in public discreetly.”

  • a) has amamantado
  • b) ha amamantado
  • c) han amamantado
  • d) he amamantado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a los gemelos en casa. — “I hope you breastfeed the twins at home.”

  • a) amamantemos
  • b) amamanto
  • c) amamantes
  • d) amamante

8. Which is the past participle of amamantar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) amamanté
  • b) amamantado
  • c) amamantando
  • d) amamanto

9. What does amamantar mean in English?

  • a) to breastfeed
  • b) to feed
  • c) to tame
  • d) to cushion, to soften

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses.
  • b) Él amamanto al niño hasta los seis meses.
  • c) Nosotros amamanta en público con discreción.
  • d) Yo amamanta a su bebé cada tres horas.

Answer key

  1. a) amamanta — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: amamanta.

  2. d) amamanté — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: amamanté, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) amamantaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: amamantaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) amamantaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: amamantaremos.

  5. a) amamantaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: amamantaría.

  6. d) he amamantado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he amamantado, haber + amamantado.

  7. c) amamantes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is amamantes.

  8. b) amamantado — The past participle is amamantado: he amamantado, has amamantado, ha amamantado. The gerund amamantando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to breastfeed — amamantar means to breastfeed. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. — Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use amamantar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas and Amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between amamantar and alimentar?

Amamantar means “to breastfeed”, while alimentar means “to feed”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use amamantar when you mean “to breastfeed” and alimentar when you mean “to feed”.

Which tense do I need most with amamantar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use amamantar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is amamantar formal or informal?

Amamantar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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