Amamantar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of amamantar — “to breastfeed” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for amamantar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of amamantar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: amamantar
Every person of amamantar in the present tense. The gerund is amamantando and the past participle is amamantado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amamanto |
| tú | amamantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | amamanta |
| nosotros/as | amamantamos |
| vosotros/as | amamantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amamantan |
How the present indicative of amamantar is formed
The present indicative of amamantar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | amamanto |
| tú | -as | amamantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | amamanta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | amamantamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | amamantáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | amamantan |
Amamantar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is amamant- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of amamantar is amamantando and the past participle is amamantado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of amamantar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and amamantar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and amamantar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas todos los días.” — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses.” — “He/she breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so amamanto can mean both “I breastfeed” and “I am breastfeeding”.
“Ahora mismo, yo amamanto en público con discreción.” — “Right now, I breastfeed in public discreetly.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo amamanto a los gemelos en casa.” — “Tomorrow, I will breastfeed the twins at home.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú amamantas a su bebé cada tres horas?” — “Do you breastfeed her baby every three hours?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses. — “He/she breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Amamantó al niño hasta los seis meses. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Amamantan en público con discreción. — “They breastfeed in public discreetly.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Amamantaban en público con discreción. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Amamantas a los gemelos en casa. — “You breastfeed the twins at home.”
- Future — what will happen: Amamantarás a los gemelos en casa. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: amamantar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show amamantar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
- Tú amamantas al niño hasta los seis meses. — “You breastfeed the child until he is six months old.”
- Él amamanta en público con discreción. — “He breastfeeds in public discreetly.”
- Nosotros amamantamos a los gemelos en casa. — “We breastfeed the twins at home.”
- Vosotros amamantáis a su bebé cada tres horas. — “You (plural) breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
- Ellos amamantan al niño hasta los seis meses. — “They breastfeed the child until he is six months old.”
- ¿Tú amamantas en público con discreción? — “Do you breastfeed in public discreetly?”
Common mistakes with amamantar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with amamantar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo amamantar a su bebé cada tres horas. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of amamantar is amamanto, not the infinitive amamantar.
✗ Vosotros amamantais a su bebé cada tres horas. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros amamantáis a su bebé cada tres horas.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: amamantáis, not amamantais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo amamanto al niño hasta los seis meses. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing amamantar with alimentar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: amamantar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of amamantar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of amamantar for tú?
- a) amamantas
- b) amamanto
- c) amamanta
- d) amamantan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
- a) amamanta
- b) amamantamos
- c) amamantas
- d) amamanto
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al niño hasta los seis meses. — “He/she breastfeeds the child until he is six months old.” (present tense)
- a) amamantaba
- b) amamantará
- c) amamanta
- d) amamantó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of amamantar for nosotros?
- a) amamantan
- b) amamantamos
- c) amamanto
- d) amamanta
5. Which sentence uses amamantar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él amamantó al niño hasta los seis meses.
- b) Él amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses.
- c) Él amamantará al niño hasta los seis meses.
- d) Ellos amamanta al niño hasta los seis meses.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en público con discreción. — “They breastfeed in public discreetly.”
- a) amamanto
- b) amamanta
- c) amamantamos
- d) amamantan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ a los gemelos en casa? — “Do you breastfeed the twins at home?”
- a) amamanta
- b) amamantarás
- c) amamantas
- d) amamanto
8. What is the gerund of amamantar?
- a) amamanté
- b) amamantando
- c) amamantado
- d) amamanto
Answer key
a) amamantas — The tú form is amamantas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; amamanto is yo, amamanta is él/ella and amamantan is ellos/ellas.
d) amamanto — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: amamanto. The other options are the wrong person.
c) amamanta — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: amamanta. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) amamantamos — Nosotros takes amamantamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) 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 use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) amamantan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is amamantan.
c) amamantas — The question needs the tú form in the present: amamantas.
b) amamantando — The gerund is amamantando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle amamantado.
Frequently asked questions
Is amamantar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Amamantar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: amamanto, amamantas, amamanta, amamantamos, amamantáis and amamantan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of amamantar?
The gerund is amamantando and the past participle is amamantado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I breastfeed” in Spanish?
Say amamanto. For example: Amamanto a su bebé cada tres horas. — “I breastfeed her baby every three hours.”
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”. The full conjugation of amamantar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of amamantar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- amamantar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Amansar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amamantar.
- Alzar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amamantar.
- Amortiguar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amamantar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.